Natural history
One manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love of our past
leads to the creation of museum

WIN A night for two with breakfast at St Raphael

02 THOUGHT

contents

And there has to be
more value in a home
cooked rather than
a ready meal says
RICHARD GODWIN

04

People: Looking for stability after
a life ranging from formula one
racing to New Age therapies

07
Culture: Lifelong interest
in natural
history leads
to creation of
museum

17
21
Fashion:
Meggings,
should you
be trying
them out?

Food is about joy, it’s
an art not a science

Whatson: Successful Loop
Festival will return to Nicosia at
beginning
beg
go
of next
e t ye
year

W

hat is it with medical
science? As much as
one admires its highminded pursuit of the
truth, it does come
across as a bit of a jerk sometimes. According to a new study published in
the British Medical Journal, the recipes published by Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver and friends are less healthy
than the average ready-meal - and the
average ready-meal is bad enough.
A group of scientists compared the
nutritional content of 100 “randomly
selected” recipes with 100 items from
the chilled aisle. Contrary to popular wisdom, they claim, a microwaveable apology for chicken tikka masala
purchased from a particularly grim
branch of Tesco Metro is “better for
you” than pork knuckles with caraway,
garlic, apples and potatoes, lovingly
braised by Nigella. In a sexy apron.
Just as his cohorts were unreeling
the hazard tape around the River Cottage, the leader of the study, Professor
Martin White, went further, suggesting that food programmes should appear after the 9pm watershed. Given
the childhood obesity epidemic, there
have been calls to restrict advertisements for junk food. Why should this
not also apply to, say, Nigelissima?
“For consistency,” White noted,
“the nutritional content of all food
portrayed on television, including that
in programmes with television chefs,
should be considered.” Considered...
and then put very low on the list of priorities. For nutritional content is more

Eminently edible: Nigella
cooks food that is to be
enjoyed, not worried over

than a question of fat and ﬁbre. Surely
the crucial point is that decent homemade recipes will not contain any of
the stablisers or xantham gum you
ﬁnd in ready-meals? Besides, Jamie
Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals burn plenty
of calories in the preparation - and if
you cook at a steadier pace, you have
the therapeutic effect on your mental
health, plus the educative beneﬁts of
an applied experiment.
Actually, the study is a pretty high
cholesterol example of how “science”
in pursuit of an easy headline sends
out completely the wrong message.
The reason that obesity has overtaken
malnutrition is not because people are
trying to copy Lorraine Pascale. It is
because they are eating crap. That is
the main problem. Anything that con-

nects taste to effort and knowledge,
rather than the instant gratiﬁcation
offered by our industrialised food processes, spreads a deeper long-term
beneﬁt.
Our second great food ailment is
neurosis - and again, Nigella is a glorious antidote. In fact, if you gauge
an individual’s worth by the joy they
spread, then she would have to count
among the most valuable members of
our society.
Considering Jamie Oliver has always combined his instinctive feel for
how British people eat with earnest
attempts to improve public health,
that would place him among the heroes of our age. Surely the scientists
have bigger ﬁsh to fry? And then eat.
With lashings of sauce.

Do men a favour, bin ‘how to get a man’ books
By Rosamund Urwin
Ladies: as an early Christmas present
for you, I have read the latest how-tobag-a-man manual so you won’t be
tempted to. The New Rules comes out
in January, that being the top time to
ﬁnd yourself suddenly single. Really
it’s just The Rules Regurgitated, with
some references to Twitter and Facebook thrown in so the authors - Ellen
Fein and Sherrie Schneider - seem
“down with the kids”.
The book begins with our self-appointed courting coaches thanking their
“wonderful husbands”, just to whack
you over the head with the point that
His Nibs will be your prize should you
live by the letter of this book. Sex and
the City gets a ﬁrst-page mention too,
because all women want to be Carrie.
Even the ones who hate stilettos. And
Cosmopolitans. And think she’s a neurotic, selﬁsh whine machine.

By Rule Two, we have hit the juicy
stuff: the pimping of our hides. Apparently, I need highlights (brown hair
being “blah”) and extensions (“Men
prefer long, straight hair… it’s simply
the most feminine!”) and to whiten my
teeth. I should stock up on bronzer,
push-up bras, a gym pass and some
big gold hoop earrings too. Oh, and I
shouldn’t rule out cosmetic surgery.
Post-makeover, I’m ready for lurve.
Except that I mustn’t talk so much, I
have to laugh at his jokes (even the unfunny ones) and I’ll need an egg timer
on standby, just in case he calls (if I go
over the four-minute mark, he’ll kick
me to the kerb).
Essentially then, the advice is to
be mean, ﬂaky and stingy. Leave the
guy hanging a bit. Rip him off. While
spending precious hours morphing
into a human Barbie doll. Fein and
Schneider are also asking most wom-

en to undergo a personality revamp, as
though the only way they could hope
to ﬁnd someone is by mild deceit and
game-playing.
Their view of men is equally unfair:
seeing them as anti-Pavlov’s dogs, who
run away scared if they hear your voice
too often. When few men - and certainly not the ones you would want to be
with - would send you to Dumpsville
for being a little loquacious and opening your wallet occasionally.
A dance between the sexes that
might end with two people getting
naked together or becoming that octogenarian couple holding hands in
the street should be fun. It shouldn’t
be some freakishly prescriptive, regressive game - a battle for hearts and
rings. God (or perhaps a greedy publisher) knows why the Rules needed a
second coming but it’s surely time to
bin these books for good.

SUNDAY MAIL• December 23, 2012

03
DIARY by Richard Dickenson

Father Christmas &
the St.Barnabas Monastery
A
bout 50 years ago
there were three elderly and spotlessly
white-bearded Greek
Orthodox priests living in the tumbledown little Monastery of St Barnabas in Salamis,
just a few miles up the coast from
the old city walls of Famagusta.
They made a subsistence living
by painting icons. I remember
them with their easels set up in
the body of the church and, working in the poor light with their
limited vision, meticulously copying the fading old pieces of church
artwork on the walls. They were
always pleased to be disturbed
and to talk with the occasional
visitors. I took my infant daughter to see them one day and she
remained convinced for years
that these were really three Father Christmases. One day one
of them had a nasty fall, having
tripped over the long robes hardly
suitable for the broken steps, decaying walls and crumbling masonry of the deteriorating buildings. I was MO in nearby Karaolos
Camp and was able to visit and
help a little. About a month or two
later I received my reward in the
form of a tiny icon of St George. It
was a copy of one of the big ones
on the church wall. Despite my
prior and greater devotion to St
David it has been on my study
wall ever since.
I never visited the place again
until this past summer. Walking into the courtyard, which is
now in the occupied areas, was a
revelation. In sharp contrast to
those earlier days I had the immense pleasure of ﬁ nding the
whole place much restored and
altogether beautiful in its calm
dignity. Nowadays it is much bet-

The church of St Barnabas and
(right) the icon of St George

ter cared for than had been within
the abilities of those old gentlemen. Much of the stonework has
been repositioned and repointed.
The garden still grows ﬁgs. The
restful tranquility of the place
has not diminished one bit. The
church is still rather dark and no
candles now burn there. Still, the
peaceful atmosphere is there even
though there are no longer any
monks in residence.
I was sad to learn that although those Father Christmas
gents survived the invasion, by
about 1976 with their advancing
years and deteriorating health
they moved to the south and left
the monastery never to return. I
gather that it is no longer a place of
worship, except at a personal lev-

el. It is hard to know when a person is silently praying let alone to
stop him. Instead, the monastery
has become a small icon museum
and icons have been moved there
from other abandoned sites. Additionally some of the old monks’
cells have been converted into a
small archaeological museum.
I sat in the still serenity and
thought back over things the
monks had told me all those years
ago. To them the great leader of
their church was St Barnabas
who was second in rank only to St
Peter, both having been chosen in
person by Christ himself. Barnabas was a Cypriot Levite Jew born,
it is thought, early in the ﬁ rst century AD. He was believed to have
been martyred in or near Salamis

in about 67AD. At one point Barnabas chose Paul, previously the
turnccoat known as Saul of Tarsus, as his assistant and Saul accompanied him to Cyprus and on
other proselytising travels. Later,
there was a difference of opinion
and, after the two had parted,
they said, Paul made many changes. With his writings he edited the
story so that it appeared that he
and not Barnabas was the senior.
Paul, they felt, was an unsavoury
character whose only evidence for
his claim to being the thirteenth
apostle was from spreading the
word that Jesus had spoken to
him and called him. There is little
to support this conceit beyond
the writings of Paul/Saul himself.
At some length they explained to

CY gets cash release

Board members quit

Orphanides stores across the
island were temporarily closed
this week as the chain’s main
creditors reportedly rejected the appointment of an administrator to oversee the
company’s restructuring.
The news came as the company, in
the red for well over €200m, announced
it was temporarily shutting down 11
stores across the island amid depleting
stocks.
Citing sources, the state broadcaster
said both Popular Bank and Bank of
Cyprus turned down the company’s proposal to appoint Andreas Andronikou,
of UK auditing ﬁ rm UHY Hacker Young,
as administrator.
The banks were however said to
be open to a proposal put forth by the
chain’s suppliers envisaging a joint buyout of the company and using future
dividends to gradually recoup what they
are owed by Orphanides.

million euro was this week
approved by the House ﬁnance committee to be given
to Cyprus Airways for a share capital
increase, which the ailing airline said
would help them get back on their feet.
“Cyprus Airways would like to publicly express their gratitude over the
House ﬁnance committee decision…to
release €16,330,000, part of the second
tranche of the government’s part of
the share capital increase,” CY said in
an announcement. The tranche is part
of some €31.3 million the airline had
requested – and has now received – to
help make the airline viable.
Last week the airline asked the
state for an additional €73 million in
order to better implement its new restructuring plan.
Under the plan, 407 employees would
be made redundant, leaving 623 staff
who would have to agree to salary cuts.

board members of the Bank of Cyprus’ (BoC) have expressed their intention to step down, the banks said.
The ﬁve are: Vasilis Rologis, Costas
Severis, Anna Diogenous, Giorgos Georgiades and Christos Mouskis.
Mouskis submitted his resignation
on Tuesday, which will be put before a
board meeting next Thursday, the BoC
said in an announcement.
All ﬁve intend to leave in the coming
months but before the next AGM, as part
of “their endeavour to contribute to the
renewal and restructuring of the board
and in response to a recommendation
from the central bank of Cyprus”.
The central bank has asked the BoC to
ensure that no board member serves for
more than nine years, as part of efforts to
improve its corporate affairs and comply
with regulations stating that that anyone
staying on for more than nine years needs
to justify it.

11

December 23, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

16

5

Semi-state borrowing
million euro will be borrowed by the state from
three semi-governmental
organisations so it can pay wages and pensions in the public sector for December.
According to government spokesman
Stefanos Stefanou, cabinet approved the
three loans to be granted by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC), the
Cyprus Telecommunications Authority
(CyTA) and the Cyprus Ports Authority.
The EAC and CyTA will loan the
state €100m each from their employees’
pension funds, while the Ports Authority will lend €50m so the government
can meet its ﬁ nancing obligations for
December, after the ﬁ nance ministry
warned of a selective default in parliament earlier this week.
The Ports Authority had originally
offered a €38 million loan with an option for a further €12m which the government eventually took.

250

THEWEEKINNUMBERS

Orphanides closures

me that Paul had stolen the purpose of the church and diverted it
into a money-making venture for
his own avaricious purposes. Still,
I knew nothing of all that in those
days and was pretty sceptical. It
was only years later that I learned
how much truth might well lie
behind those surprising insinuations.
To this day Barnabas remains
Patron Saint of Cyprus, his feast
day celebrated on June 11. I noticed that the original icon of St
George from which mine was copied is still in its place as my photograph shows. Barnabas comes
over as a much nicer chap than
his sometime associate. A comforting thought in such a foolishly
troubled world.

04 PROFILE

Living on the edge

What have you done? Roberto Sciffo
Photo: Christos Theodorides

I

t’s the time of year when John
Lennon’s words come to mind:
“So this is Christmas / And
what have you done? / Another year over / And a new one
just begun”. Lennon meant well, but
those words strike an uncomfortable
chord with some people – like Roberto Sciffo for instance, who admits
that sometimes a little voice pipes up
inside his head, casting doubt on his
life choices. “Sometimes I do question what the heck I’m doing,” he
tells me, sitting in the showroom of
Global Green Guard Ltd in Nicosia,
“because I’m not where everyone else
is, or should be, at this point in time”.
His parents, he’s aware, “would like a
grandchild, or wedding bells or whatever it is”, and sometimes the little
voice agrees with them: “In comparison to all your other friends,” it needles, “who have now been married
and are on their ﬁrst kid, or second
kid or whatnot – where is your stability?”
By the time you read this, Roberto
will have turned 40 (he was just days
away when we spoke) – an age when
mid-life crisis starts to loom, and one
clutches at stability like a drowning
man at a life-preserver. Then again,
stability is overrated – and Roberto,

THEO PANAYIDES meets a dreamer
who has raced formula cars, is
involved in New Age therapies and is
looking for stability
to answer John Lennon, has done
quite a lot with his years so far. He’s
raced cars as a Formula Ford mechanic in Quebec. He’s sailed across
the Paciﬁc on a three-man yacht,
from San Diego to New Zealand – a
journey that took eight months, including an enforced four-month layover in the Kingdom of Tonga. He’s a
freediver, and can hold his breath for
just under ﬁve minutes. He’s worked
with Tim Ray, the son of a Hollywood director (Nicholas Ray, who
made Rebel Without a Cause) and
an Oscar-winning actress. Above all,
he’s consistently explored new ideas,
from the eco-friendly ion heaters and
copper-based pool cleaners he’s currently selling to self-actualisation,
probiotics, “heavy metals”, and healing techniques so out-there he prefers not to talk about them.
Not that Roberto doesn’t like to
talk. If anything he talks too unstop-

pably, his verbal tangents punctuated
by a loud, high-pitched laugh. In 1969
his dad proposed to his mother, he recalls: “Took her out into the lake, so
she wouldn’t have a choice!” – and he
laughs loudly. “She accepted. Wisely!” – and he laughs again. His style
is boyishly enthusiastic, his fair, ruddy face crowned by shoulder-length
blond hair above a pair of green eyes
and thick square glasses. He was
born and grew up in Cyprus, but his
ethnic background (as implied by his
features) is more complicated: Mum
is Swiss but born in Hungary and
raised partly in Brazil, Dad is Italian
but born and raised in Egypt. “He’s a
bit like me, he’s quite an adventurer
as well,” says his son fondly.
Roberto himself was a shy boy,
partly because he was born shortsighted but wasn’t issued with glasses till he was ﬁve, so his ﬁrst impressions of the world were “foggy”. He
was “somewhat lost as a child,” he recalls; “I used to be very introverted,
I wouldn’t go out and make friends
very easily”. School was a chore, and
he may have been mildly dyslexic.
His life seemed to lack direction; all
that really stirred him were racecars and motorbikes. He seems to
have been slightly in the shadow of

his older brother Raffaello, whom he
describes as “quite magniﬁcent. He
was very jolly, got on with everybody,
very intelligent, very good brain, remembered things”. Raffaello went off
to study in the US and Roberto followed, mostly so they could be on the
same continent. “We were very close,
my brother and I. He passed away in
2003. We had a really good –” he pauses: “You know, with him I felt really
safe.”
He seems to have the kind of personality that craves a mentor, someone – or something – to attach to, yet
he also loves adventure and living on
the edge. That’s why he cherished
motor-racing, because it hinges on
teamwork (“I’m the type of person
that likes to connect well with people”) yet is also a case of “being on my
own and not being told what to do”.
It’s the kind of personality that’s naturally drawn to extreme experience;
he might’ve joined a cult, or become
a monk, in another life – yet he’s also
keenly aware of the kind of reaction
his ideas might provoke, and much
too nice to give offence. At times he
seems almost embarrassed by the
things he’s seen and experienced.
“This is where it gets a bit… ‘woowoo’, shall we say,” he explains, and

SUNDAY MAIL• December 23, 2012

05

people

Happiest people on earth: Tonga

Anastasiades on top
According to state broadcaster CyBC is latest poll
presidential contender and DISY leader Nicos
Anastasiades currently tops the popularity table
with 46 per cent of respondents backing him.

Large haul
He seems to have the kind of personality that
craves a mentor, someone – or something – to
attach to, yet he also loves adventure and living on
the edge
laughs loudly. “For want of a better
word.”
What exactly are the “woo-woo”
ideas he’s been involved with? The
ﬁrst was perhaps “network spinal
analysis” at the wellness centre he
started with his brother in Hertfordshire in the late 90s. Raffaello was
a qualiﬁed chiropractor (Roberto,
who helped out on the business side,
graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts) – but network spinal analysis is a non-invasive
technique where you’re “not actually
moving a bone, but you’re looking for
the deeper cause why the bone is out
of place”. Any bad experience creates
energy which is then absorbed by the
meningeal sac (he explains) and gets
stored in the body, usually along the
spine, causing stress which can then
be found and released. The underlying point, adds Roberto, is to see
that “our body is not just a biological
mass. It’s also got an energetic aspect to it.”
That brings us to “subtle energy” –
“what we’re all connected by, if we’re
able to tap into it”. Take a body at the
moment of death, for instance. One
might say it’s still healthy, insofar
as you could harvest its organs and
put them in a living body, but (obviously) something is missing – “which
is the vitality, the spirit, the energy or
whatnot of that body. The subtle energy, let’s put it that way”.
He means the soul, I point out.
This is not a new idea – but why is he
so convinced that such a thing exists? Because he’s used subtle energy
in practical ways, replies Roberto,
but prefers not to go into details; “I
tapped into, let’s say, one little aspect”. Better not say more, he adds
with a laugh. “When you give information that’s way too much over
someone’s reality, then they’ll just
write it off”. Translation: that part of
his life is a little too “woo-woo” for the
Sunday Mail.
Then again, some might also
snigger at the Paracelsus Clinic, a
place in Switzerland which “has its
own way of working: its belief is basically that most, if not all, diseases

December 23, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

originate from the state of the teeth”.
That was where Roberto’s brother
went for alternative treatment after
being diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer – and the cancer was successfully reduced, claims Roberto,
but his body was already too weak to
survive. Some might even raise their
eyebrows at Dr Mick MacKenzie,
another of Roberto’s mentor ﬁgures
(they worked together for a number
of years), a kind of wellness consultant who leads month-long retreats
for people who “basically want their
life shook up to see more options,
shall we say”. Some readers will reject such things as insufferably New
Age-y – but that’s the point, that it all
depends on the reader. “Everybody’s
life is their own creation, in a sense,”
he admits. “I’ll put the information,
and my understanding of health and
life and whatnot out there, but it’s
not for me to convince them.”
Roberto Sciffo isn’t out to convince anyone. It’s true he’s selling
something – he had a stall ﬂogging
detox products at the recent Mind,
Body & Spirit exhibition – but he’s not
really a hustler; he’s an enthusiast, an
adventurer, a bit of a gypsy. His ideas
tend to be outside the mainstream,
but not necessarily extreme. He believes in good nutrition, like drinking lots of water (30ml per kilogram
of weight per day) and eating at least
60 per cent fresh (i.e. uncooked) food.
He believes in detoxifying the body
of “heavy metals”, the chemicals we
unknowingly absorb every day in everything from water to perfume to
car-exhaust fumes. But he doesn’t
come across as a zealot – maybe just
a bit of a drifter, and a bit insecure.
“I’m quite sensitive as a person,” he
says. “There’s no good or bad, it’s just
who I am”.
‘What’s been his most life-changing experience?’ I ask – and am quite
surprised by the answer. In 2001, he
was backpacking through Europe;
he met a couple of Swiss girls and
they travelled together, ending up in
Barcelona. They went out one night,
did a bit of bar-hopping, and around
5am they were looking for one last
place which they’d been assured was

still open. Suddenly a garbage truck
drove by, and they decided to ask the
garbage-man for directions. Roberto
approached him as he was taking out
garbage, asked his question – and the
man “basically looked up, pointed,
and then just kept on doing what
he was doing. It stunned all three of
us.”
I’m puzzled: “Why?”
“Because the whole essence of
the person was someone who was
absolutely happy, absolutely secure.
There was no judgment – he didn’t
say ‘oh, these are tourists’, or ‘look at
the clothes they’re wearing’, or ‘look
at what I’m wearing, this is not a
great job’ and judging himself – there
was nothing. It was like … clean. All
three of us were speechless”.
So you mean he was very serene?
It was just his essence, his very
being. It was just so clear. “‘Essence’
would be the best word.”
It’s a strange story (maybe you
had to have been there), but I think
I get it. Maybe life is indeed a search
for stability – but not the stability of a
wife and kids, at least not for Roberto, though in fact he’s become more
concerned with “building a base” in
the past few years. I remember what
he said about the people of Tonga,
whom he got to know quite well during his four months (his Tongan
name is ‘Lopeti’) – that they’re “the
happiest people on Earth”, partly because they’ve never been conquered;
their Paciﬁc home is their own, and
it ﬁlls them with conﬁdence. Roberto strikes me as a man who’s spent
40 years trying to achieve that same
conﬁdence.
Has he made it? Will he ever?
Hard to say – but don’t forget that
adventurers are also pioneers. Today’s ﬂaky, “woo-woo” idea is tomorrow’s new way of doing things. At one
point, as we speak, we’re interrupted
by a friend called Gabriel who designs
geodesic domes; cheaper than ordinary structures, says Roberto later,
more stable, more energy-efﬁcient.
Yet they’re still a novelty, I point
out; why isn’t everybody building
geodesic domes? “Well, it’s new,” he
shrugs helplessly – but later quotes
Schopenhauer: “The truth is initially
ridiculed, then it is violently opposed,
and ﬁnally it is accepted as self-evident”. Far from being a misﬁt, Roberto Sciffo may be in the vanguard
of a new revolution. You may say he’s
a dreamer, but he’s not the only one.
There’s that John Lennon again.

The drugs squad for arresting two men this week
with a large stash of drugs after police gave
simultaneous car chases, firing warning shots
until the two suspects stopped their cars.

‘No default’
The finance ministry for announcing on Wednesday that it had secured the necessary cash to
cover its current financing needs and there was
no possibility of a default, a day after a high-ranking
official warned that without loans from semi-government companies (SGOs), the state would run out of
money in a matter of days.

‘Save our jobs’
It’s a bad Christmas for the hundreds of workers at
Orphanides Supermarkets who took to the streets
on Wednesday asking for their jobs to be saved as
a cloud of uncertainty hung over the future of the
debt-ridden company.

Homophobia in schools
Those responsible for the homophobic bullying that
has been branded a “real problem” in schools and
which needs to be tackled by the Education Ministry,
Ombudswoman Eliza Savvidou said in a recent
report.

‘Not enough support’
Welfare is still failing to work alongside other state
services to ensure that children’s rights are secured,
Commissioner for Children’s Rights Leda Koursoumba
said this week.

Unpaid teachers
The 2,500 teachers belonging to State Education
Institutes (KIE) islandwide who have not received
wages since September. Some demonstrated in Nicosia this week although union representative Giorgos
Constantinou said others had not turned up because
they could not afford the petrol money.

Teasing stab
The 75-year-old man who accused his sister-in-law of
attempted murder after she allegedly stabbed him
for being teased, Paphos police said.

Austerity protest
Secondary school students were sent home
early on Wednesday as their teachers walked out of
classrooms for the day’s last period, protesting the
austerity measures that impact their sector. They are
being asked to teach one extra period a week.

06 FEATURE

Travelling with Hepburn, dining with Sinatra
and gambling with Broccoli, Roger Moore’s
life is as glamorous as 007’s. HERMIONE
EYRE joins him for lunch

‘I will not drink
a dirty martini’

S

ir Roger Moore arrives
exuding
cologne
and
good manners. “I can’t sit
here,” he protests. “The
lady should always have
the better seat, looking out into the
room.” He has dressed immaculately for our rendezvous - and he even
shakes out my napkin and presents
it to me. We’re in one of his favourite
restaurants, One-O-One in Knightsbridge. His usual apéritif is a gin Martini: “Very dry, straight up. Vermouth
placed in the glass and thrown away,
Tanqueray gin, a twist of lemon, and
then chilled in a freezer so it crackles
with frost.” His eyebrows shoot upwards in delight. He leans closer, as
if to conﬁde an article of faith: “I will
not drink a Martini dirty.”
He’s still got it. My favourite Bond;
“I was meant to be George, all the
Moores are either Alfred or George.
Actually, I was supposed to be Margarita - my parents were convinced!”
At 85, he is married to his fourth wife,
Christina ‘Kiki’ Tholstrup, and has
just produced a book of 007 anecdotes
and arcana, Bond on Bond, dictated
from the verandah of his home in Monaco, or phoned in from his chalet in
Switzerland. “I always ﬁnd the best
time to work is in the morning, before
I’ve had a Bloody Mary at noon and
forgotten everything.” His eyes dart
about disarmingly. “Where’s our waiter? They’re very good at looking after
you here. In Moscow the service is the
worst in the world. They’re so used to
the socialist regime, they don’t want
to serve you. Little did they realise I
was James Bond. I could have shot
the bloody lot of them!”
Soon I’m asking if he can remember his longest lunch. As he’s a legendary epicure who was friends with
Sinatra and Gregory Peck, I ﬁgure it
could have lasted several days. “In
the South of France,” he remembers,
“after a two-hour game of tennis, we
all went off with a Danish chef who
had a house in St Paul de Vence, who
rustled something up, and we washed
it down with, oh, between ten of us,
at least a hundred bottles. There was
dancing, and then it was time for din-

ner. The next day I felt great.” He has
a strong constitution, then? Emphatically: “Yes.”
Did he ever, at his zenith, become
a little pleased with himself? Start referring to himself in the third person?
“I’ve never been pleased with myself.
Couldn’t be. I never watched my
daily rushes. I only ever listened to
them. If the voice sounds right, they
will be ﬁne. A very clever old-time
Hollywood producer told me that if
you watch yourself too much, you develop mannerisms. You see your jaw
clenching and you think, ‘That’s effective,’ and you start doing it for the
wrong reasons.”
I close my eyes. It is a very beautiful voice, low and sweet like a RADAtrained honey bear. He’s telling me
tales of gambling in the 1960s. “I met

these two Americans over a game of
chemin de fer on Curzon Street. They
were quite heavy gamblers and they
were called Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman… Having met them over
a gambling table I was obviously going to be a potential for Bond. They
were running a competition in the
Daily Express to ﬁnd James Bond,
but I’d just started The Saint.” And
so, during that long-running TV series, it fell to a certain other actor to
become the ﬁrst Bond.
Moore was a gambler, but never
a cheat. “I knew all the tricks, the
sleights of hand. A friend of mine, a
Swedish gambler, taught me all the
things to look out for.” But he never
put them into practice? “Never! I’d
be far too frightened. They watch you
all the time in a casino.” He corrects
himself wryly. “Of course, it wasn’t
that I was too frightened, I was too
honest. My father was in the police,
you know.”
Moore grew up in Stockwell, the
only child of George and Lily. His father, always a great supporter, once
told him off for failing to appear on
the Alan Partridge show in 1994. He
thought his son was being unprofessional; of course, Steve Coogan had
invented the whole scenario. Remembering his childhood, Moore likes
his ﬁsh and chips “the common way,
with tomato ketchup and vinegar.
The best in the world is at Scott’s
in Mayfair. It’s not on the menu, but
they do it really well.” He’s on a mission against foie gras. “I like animals
and I don’t think we should torture
them before we eat them. Blowing up
the liver of a duck or a goose is no way
to treat an animal.” His PETA campaign recently closed down a large
farm in China; next, Fortnum’s is in

his sights. “The French are horriﬁed
with me. If there’s such a word as a
fatwah in French, I’m under it, from
the farmers and the government, but
I don’t care.”
He arose as Sir Roger for the ﬁrst
time in 2003. “A great honour, but
it comes for my work for UNICEF,
which I’m more proud of than any
success I’ve had in movies. But then,
of course, if I hadn’t had any success
in movies, no one would have been
interested in hearing me talk about
children’s charities.” Indeed, glamour makes the world go round. “Well,
one of the most glamorous ladies recruited me to UNICEF, Audrey Hepburn. She asked me to go with her to
Amsterdam. What could one say but
yes?”
Well, absolutely. We end our lunch
with macaroons. “My big problem
is...” he begins. A Soviet assassin behind the door? Grace Jones with a
stiletto? “Dessert,” he says ruefully.
“My wife says I mustn’t.” Lunchtime
with this legend has been a dreamy,
surreal experience. He leaves with
one generous parting shot: “I think
they’ve now got the best Bond ever in
Daniel Craig. A very ﬁne, classically
trained actor, and doesn’t he look like
a killer?” And with that, Roger Moore
kisses me on both cheeks - once a killer, twice a lover.

SUNDAY MAIL• December 23, 2012

07

ZOE CHRISTODOULIDES
meets a natural history
buff who has taken his
passion one step further
by creating a museum

The start of life
T

ake a whizz through the
streets of the capital and
the signs off recession
e ingrained
seem to be
everywhere. Countless
mpty, closing
shops have been left empty,
e commondown sales have become
bandoned
place, and cafés seem abandoned
ather dein time. But amid the rather
w place
pressing cityscape, a new
has recently sprouted up that
d old on
aims to take young and
ent day
a journey far from present
hardships. So very far away, in
ilding is
fact, that an entire building
ts of weird
now dedicated to all sorts
s that tell
and wonderful exhibits
s roamed the
tales of when dinosaurs
earth.
o
one’s
throw
Located just a stone’s
ollos Municiaway from the Strovolos
u ndation is
pality, the Tsirides Foundation
thi
packed with just aboutt anything
nable, from
and everything imaginable,
dinosaur teeth to the most unusutract toural fossils. Aiming to attract
th a thirst
ists and locals alike with
ies of days
for discovering the glories
e pride and
gone by, the place is the
r.
joy of one local collector.
“This is what I love to do,” prodes busying
claims Angelos Tsirides
luttered
himself in an ofﬁce cluttered
with collectables thatt would
p. That’s
make anyone’s jaw drop.
not to forget the half a dozen cats

Photographing a
monkey in Kuala
Lumpur

December 23, 2012• SUNDAY MAIL

Exhibits from the new museum

urled
that are cu
curled
d the
up around
A
space as Angelos
t ll tales
t l off th
h other
th
tell
the
t
30 or so felines that
he
ove time.
has adopted over
sudde
“Animals!” he suddenly
exclaims. “If only everyone underdista relastood that they are our distant
develope from
tives, that we have developed
ge back
them. But anyway, let’s get
collecting It all
to my passion for collecting.
ag when
started from a very young age
I was searching for something,” he
says, voice trailing off as if lost in
the past. Searching for what exactly? “Well I was asking ‘who is God’?”
And one ﬁ ne day, Angelos suddenly
discovered his passion for natural
history when he stumbled across
a lonesome fossil. “At that point I
stopped and thought about life that
existed millions of years before humans and I felt as if I’d found some
answers.”
Magnetised by the evolution of
life on earth, the natural history buff
then spent years trotting the globe
while purchasing all sorts of fascinating items to add to his collection. Professionally speaking, Angelos has spent years in charge of his
Tsircon Company, engaged in the
manufacture and trade of specialised materials used in the construction industry. But with his passion
for natural history standing as more
than just a sideline, almost of all
his free time has been spent jetting
away with his wife to faraway destinations to get hold of treasures.
From the depths of China to the
heights of South America, the travel
bug was coupled with an insatiable
desire to get his mitts on the most

Magnetised by the
evolution of life on
earth, the natural
history buff then spent
years trotting the globe
while purchasing all
sorts of fascinating
items to add to his
collection
unusual museum pieces. And year
by year, the pieces overﬂowed in
boxes that piled up in the premises
of his company until he ﬁ nally managed to set up the Tsirides Foundation.
Go along to the exhibition space
that ﬁ rst opened its doors a couple of
months ago and you’ll come across a
whopping 1,000 exhibits, including
collections of antiquities, fossils and
minerals. Then there’s the skeleton

Tsirides at the museum

of the Protoceratops
dinosaur which
Angelos describes
as being as big as a
large sheep, topped off
by the large skull of the
Triceratops Horridus
dinosaur.
As for those who
are rather partial
tto
o e
xami
xa
m ini
mi
ning
ni
ng ffossils,
ossi
os
sils
si
ls th
ther
ere’
es
examining
there’s
plenty to set your sights on including those of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants with the oldest in
the collect
collection being those of unicellularr orga
organisms dating back threebillio years originating from
four billion
Australia
t
“But the
most important fossil
in the coll
collection is probably the one
that come
comes from the Archaeopteryx
f
il and provides the missing
family
link between dinosaurs and birds,”
enthuses Angelos. “This one dates
back about 160 million years.”
With the total collection worth
more than €5 million, Angelos professes to being absolutely clear
about his priorities in life. “Sure,
it’s costing money but some people
choose to build houses and palaces,
and instead, I choose to do this.”
Angelos then lets on that he has
even bigger goals in mind, with the
creation of the Cyprus Museum of
World Natural History now in the
pipeline, set to function according
to international standards. While it
may take a little while for the ﬁ nal
dream to be realised, there are already more specimens making their
way to Cyprus. “One is a head of a
tyrannosaurus rex and the other is
the most beautiful fossil of a big ﬁsh
eating a small ﬁ sh,” he lets on.
In the meantime, a Friends of the
Foundation group has been set up,
focusing on science, entertainment
and knowledge. “Our aim is to be
fun and appealing to anyone who
loves this kind of thing, whether its
hobbyists, paleontologists or professors. We really want to pass on and
exchange knowledge with everyone.” Kids and adults can also enjoy
special guided tours of the foundation to really get to grips with all
that’s on show. “It’s so important to
see how life started and where it has
taken us,” says Angelos. “You know
how it goes: you have to read the
past and study the future in order to
govern the present.”

08 TRAVEL

RING THE CHANGES
2013 is a big year for
Amsterdam. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
canal ring celebrates
its 400th anniversary,
along with a new hotel
and the re-opening of
the Rijksmuseum, says
ADRIAN MOURBY

W

hen the new Andaz
Hotel on Prinzengracht opened last
month, the locals were
there straight away to
look around. The Andaz is a remarkable building, its atrium a vision of
gigantic lampshades, black cabinets, red swivelling tulip chairs and
bedroom walls on which giant ďŹ sh
transmute into champagne glasses.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hotel as one giant work of art.
But the people of Amsterdam came
in mainly because they wanted to

Cycle of history: bicycles line the canal
ring of Amsterdam, a historic network
of waterways that give the city its
distinctive feel

see what had happened to their old
public library.
There are a number of curious
and stylish hotels on Amsterdamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Canal Ring, and all of them are conversions of one kind or another. The
Ambassade is a sequence of eight
terraced houses on the Herengracht,
The Pulitzer is a whole block of old
shops and houses facing the Prinsengracht on one side and the Keizersgracht on the other. Canal House Hotel, on Keizersgracht, is an ordinary
merchantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house at the front but
with an 18th-century ballroom at the
back, which wraps itself around the
neighbouring houses.
All these tall, thin, brick buildings stand on the Grachtengordel or
Canal Ring, a semicircle of broad canals built outside the moat of the medieval city of Amsterdam in the 17th
century. They enjoy Unesco World
Heritage status and in 2013 celebrate
400 years since their completion.

cytavision

cablenet

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amsterdam 2013â&#x20AC;? is set to be a big
celebration next year.
The citizens of this rich trading
city will be celebrating 200 years of
monarchy, 150 years of Heineken and
the reopening after 10 years - far too
long - of the mighty Rijksmuseum,
which showcases the art of Vermeer,
Rembrandt, Rubens, Frans Hals and
their many contemporaries. But the
greatest celebration by far will be for
the quadro centennial of these three
broad canals that for many visitors
simply are Amsterdam.
Not even Venice has such a symmetrical sweep as these three canals
that line up in a curved embrace
around the west and south of the
city. Ironically, they were not built
to make transport easier nor for any
picturesque reason. The Grachtengordel was constructed out of simple
necessity: if new land was going to be
found for the expansion of Amsterdam, it ďŹ rst had to be drained. While

But the greatest celebration by far will be for the quadro
centennial of these three broad canals that for many
visitors simply are Amsterdam

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youtube.com/mtvnrg

The art of Amsterdam: the facade of the canalside Pulitzer Hotel

SUNDAY MAILâ&#x20AC;˘ December 23, 2012

09

the canals were ﬁ nished in 1613,
building of the familiar tall brick
houses wasn’t completed for another 100 years. A painting by Gerrit
Adriaensz Berckheyde of the Herengracht, circa 1672, shows its “Golden
Bend” with distinct gaps because not
everyone had yet raised the money to
complete their mansions.
The Jordaan, the Bohemian
area on the western bank of Prinsengracht, is so named because
it remained countryside for more
than a century. The homeowners
on the eastern quayside claimed
they looked out to a “Jardin” (garden) of meadows. Today these broad
grachts are also lined by houseboats.
They’re highly desirable properties that change hands for around
€250,000. Although most boats are
comfortable and connected to gas,
electricity, water and mains sewage,
locals still claim that 90 per cent of
the asking price is just for location,
the best in Amsterdam.
One of the advantages of taking a tourist wine and cheese boat
around the canals at dusk is that you
can spy into these houseboats and
marvel at the afﬂuent lifestyle many
boat people enjoy. But this is nothing
to what you see in the houses themselves, which now cost upwards of
€1.5million and are usually now divided into apartments. Fortunately the
Dutch seem not too concerned about
drawing curtains over their ﬂoor-toceiling windows. Imagine being able
to see into Venetian palazzos as you
putter down the Grand Canal.
These glass-topped tourist boats

patrol the Canal Ring like ﬂoating
conservatories. They have to operate in very shallow waters. Although
the canals were eight feet deep when
completed in 1613, popular wisdom
claims that three feet of that is now
mud and the next two feet occupied
by bicycles, leaving a bare three feet
of clearance for boats.
The three canals have different
personalities. Herengracht, the innermost, is still considered the most
genteel. Its name derives from the
“heren regeerders”, the patrician
class who governed the city in the
16th and 17th centuries. Prinsengracht, the outermost, is reckoned to
be the most fun, and hosts ﬂoating
concerts in the summer (less sunnily,
it was also the location of the house
where Anne Frank hid with her family for nearly three years).
The Keizersgracht, in the middle,
seems to have cornered most of the
history. Tsar Peter the Great got so
drunk at number 317, the home of a
friend, that he kept the mayor of Amsterdam waiting to enact the welcome ceremony. The painter Jacob
de Wit (1695–1754) lived and worked
at 365, Vivaldi conducted one of his
own operas at a theatre which is now
the Dylan Hotel at number 384, and
Van Gogh visited his art-dealer uncle at 453.
Connecting the three canals are
The Nine Streets, short stretches of
shops that seem to chop the canals
into short sections. There will be
much to celebrate in Amsterdam
next year - but nowhere more so than
on the Ring.

Inside the colourful Andaz

Sights of Spain: still the most popular for British travellers

Spain 'top choice' for UK tourists
By Clare Carswell
SCOTTISH tourists travelled the furthest on foreign
holidays this year while Londoners took the longest time
away, according to a report
on UK travellers.
Research
from
travel
comparison site Skyscanner
revealed popular destinations for Scottish travellers
to be the US, Thailand and
Australia.
According to the Travel
Trends report, Spain remained the top destination
overall for UK tourists.
Londoners take the longest holidays, with the average break lasting 12 days, followed by Mancunians with 11
days and Geordies with ten.
People from Liverpool not
only stay the closest to home
– typically France, Portugal
and Spain - but also book the
shortest holidays, averaging

at ﬁve days.
The research showed
France is the world’s most
popular destination, with 80
million tourists arriving annually.
A busy summer in the
UK with the London Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee
could be responsible for Britain leap-frogging over the US
into second place.
The report highlights
other trends across the country, with Mancunians shown
to be the most organised as
they search for ﬂ ights 85 days
in advance.
The hottest new destination is reported as Burma,
which has seen a 125 per
cent increase in searches followed by Lithuania (122 per
cent) and Slovakia (116 per
cent).
India is fast becoming
a ﬁ rm favourite, with ﬂ ight

searches soaring up 66 per
cent on last year, ahead of
Australia and the UAE. China has also seen a 64 per cent
increase in interest.
The busiest day of the
year is yet to come - with December 22 expected to be the
most popular day to travel
nationally- but not in Scotland, where July 1 is the favourite date to ﬂy.
Skyscanner's Sam Poullain said: "Another wet summer has seen millions of Brits
jet off to sunnier climes and
it's fascinating to see the
regional differences, in the
choice of holiday destinations.
"Despite the double dip in
the economy, there has still
been a huge increase in longhaul ﬂ ight searches including India, China and Burma;
proving the British traveller
is as adventurous as ever."

Emirates Skywards can redeem easyJet flights online Etihad World’s Leading Airline
In a partnership to facilitate travel around Europe, Skywards, Emirates award-winning frequent ﬂyer programme,
and easyJet, Europe’s fourth largest airline, announced
the launch of a redemption agreement of Skywards Miles
for ﬂ ights on easyJet; connecting Emirates 31-destination
strong European network with all of easyJet destinations.
Members can now use their Skywards Miles to ﬂy with
easyJet to over 30 countries across Europe and North Africa.
Used in conjunction with an Emirates ﬂ ight or for separate
travel itineraries, Skywards members will have the choice
to expand their travel options across Europe. The functionality will be available to Skywards members in every tier
and the ﬂ ights are bookable online.
The agreement applies to redemption of Skywards Miles
on easyJet ﬂ ights only and will apply to all destinations
across the easyJet network. Redemptions for ﬂ ights can be
made online through the Skywards website and will include
applicable charges and taxes. Skywards members will be
able to add on optional extras, such as additional baggage
allowance, using either Skywards Miles or cash payment.
For more information on the redemption partnership
plus the terms and conditions that apply, visit the easyJet
page on www.skywards.com/partner_details

December 23, 2012• SUNDAY MAIL

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab
Emirates, has brought home
top honours at the World
Travel Awards, taking the
World’s Leading Airline
title for the fourth year in
a row. The awards were announced at a black-tie gala
event at the Oberoi Gurgaon in New Delhi, India. Etihad Airways also received
recognition for its Diamond
First Class product, named
the World’s Leading First
Class.
The
World
Travel
Awards were established
in 1993 to seek out and reward the very best travel
organisations in the world,
acknowledging the elite
organisations in their re-

spective ﬁelds through a
global industry vote. In
2012, nearly 650,000 votes
were cast by travel professionals from 191 countries.
The World Travel Awards
have achieved top industry
status and been named by
the Wall Street Journal as
the “Oscars of the Travel
Industry”.
James Hogan, Etihad
Airways President and
Chief Executive Ofﬁcer,
said: “I am delighted that
Etihad Airways has again
been named the World’s
Leading Airline. Particularly in our region, the competition is strong, so this is
a fantastic way to round out
what has been an exceptional year for us."

10 FOOD & DRINK
WINES with George Kassianos

Red is for Christmas

F

or many, the red wine we
serve at the Christmas
table is a special moment. Something special,
kept for this special day.
Any wine on the day should convey
a sense of careful selection. And the
classic roast turkey needs the best
reds with ripe, rounded, fruity qualities. Try these…

If you are looking
for something to
complement the turkey
try one of these

2007 Methy, K&K Vasilikon Winery,
ry,
Pafos Kathikas, Cyprus, Abv 14%
This is probably one of the best
uit is
Cabernet Sauvignons; the fruit
wn. It
sourced from the winery’s own.
rs of
is complex with various layers
ose
spice and ﬂavours. On the nose
you will ﬁnd enticing aromas of
is
black cherry, blackberry, cassis
ce
and vanilla with evident spice
bs.
from the oak and hints of herbs.
ti–
On tasting it delivers a multi–
m
layered wine. Medium ﬁrm
nd
tannins provide structure and
ed
balance to this medium bodied
Cabernet which will continue to
evolve in the bottle. €15

2009 Château Tour Saint Bonnet,
Médoc, Cru Bourgaois Bordeaux,
France, Abv 14%
If you get a craving for an afk on
fordable claret, pull the cork
this one. Classic garnet-tinged crimson colour, the nose has fragrance of
cedar wood, dried plum and blackcurrant. The palate is medium-bodied and lean – with not much fat on
it; there are little pockets of fruit here
and there interspersed with ﬁrm, but
smooth tannins, balanced by some
fresh acidity. There were some cedar
and coffee characters with smooth,
subtle vanilla spice. €18.50 (La Maison Du Vin)

2009 Dougos Rapsani Protected
Designation of Origin, Macedonia,
Greece, Abv 13.5%
Christmas without a bottle of Xinomavro? No way. Restrained on the
nose, the nose packed with bright
fruit that suggests raspberries and
ripe strawberries. Fine vegetal and
ﬂoral with violet, dark chocolate and

This is a 100% Cababer
om
ernet
Sauvignon from
M
ich
Mas
La Plana which
ths
is aged for 18 months
in French oak. Bright,
ht,
d
son
deep
blue
crimson
c
d exotic
colour, smoky and
o
ak ageon the nose, the oak
ing does wonders to this
gesting
wine. Opulent fruit, suggesting
ed berround, rich and ﬂeshy red
nt and
ries and ripe blackcurrant
cassis. There is a touch of undergrowth vegetal quality in the
ate we
background. On the palate
ncenexperience fabulous concentration with the supple, ﬁne
ght.
tannins which add weight.
shThe core of black fruit pushdge
es through with a good edge
cidof liquorice and cherry acidity and then the spice and
rgcoffee bean richness emergent.
ing in the ﬁnish. Excellent.
€53 (Othon Ghalanos)

jams made from red fruits and blue-berries with lifted ﬂoral notes of lav-ender and violet predominate togeth-h
er with a hint of smoke. In the mouth
e
lashings of boysenberry combine
n
with fresh balanced acidity and on
the mid-palate, it feels juicy and welll
p
structured, with good volume crisp
and a rich body leading to a long vi-brant ﬁn
nish. €16.50 (Arte Vino)

2009 Co
Colomé Estate Malbec, Valle
Calchaq Salta, Argentina, Abv
Calchaqui,
14.5%
The colour is deep, dark red
T
wit
with a magenta hue. The Colomé is layered on the nose with
blac
blackberry, licorice, violet,
bitt
bitter chocolate and spices.
The ﬂavours are rich with layered ﬁg paste, plums, cassis
and blackberry fruit. Subtle
Fre
French oak ﬂavours are well
bal
balanced and fully integrated
thr
through the mid-palate and
wel
well into the ﬁnish, which is
lon
long and round. €18.50 (The
Oak Tree)

A ruby red wine in colour with
hints of violet. A well-deﬁned set of
ﬂavours, dominated by plum, blueberries, cherry and red currant. Yet
the tannins feel a little strong and the
nose, overall, is a little hot from the
relatively high alcohol. A great wine.
€19 (The Oak Tree)

2008 Marchesi Mazzei Tenuta
Belgvardo, Maremma IGT Toscana, Abv
14%
Made with Cabernet Sauvignon
and a small percentage of Cabernet
Franc grapes, this powerful and elegant wine is the most important Cru
of the Estate. The tannins are very
robust, a ton of fruit. Nose of blackcurrant, coffee beans. Slight bitterness on the palate. Was optimal on
day two. €43 (Inon Pnevmata)

2009 Douloufakis Aspros Lagos
Cabernet Sauvignon Protected
Geographical Indication Crete, Greece
Abv 14%
The name of this Cretan wine
means white hare, a Cab varietal.
Rich aromas of dark cherry, caramel, toasted marshmallow and white
pepper. This wine has an intensity of
fruit ﬂavour on the palate, beginning
with black currant and dark plum
and evolving into dark chocolate and
cappuccino. Dried dark fruit and
smoky oak nuances come through on
the mid-palate, revealing additional
layers of depth. The ﬁnish is rich
with big, mouth-ﬁ lling tannins and a
ﬁrm core of high quality French oak.
€18.15

2007 Gevrey-Chambertin, Joseph
Drouhin Côte de Nuits Bourgogne,
France, Abv 13%
A wine with a beautiful bright
ruby colour and with a pretty and expressive nose of Gevrey earth, raspberry, cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, licorice and hint of the wood and
mild spice. The mushroom sauvages
and dump earth-nuances merge into
textured, round and supple medium
weight ﬂavours that are delicious,
mouth coating and long as well as
possessing a beguiling mouth feel.
€47.90

Time to buy Bordeaux, sell Burgundy (and drink the rest)
By Leslie Gevirtz
Experts are advising collectors - and investors - to buy
Bordeaux and sell Burgundies
as yet another economic study
ﬁnds that over the long run, wine
tops equities when it comes to
delivering high returns.
When collectors speak of
investing in wine, they are usually referring to First Growth
Bordeaux, a group of ﬁve topranked chateaux; the very best
Burgundies, usually Domaine
de la Romanee-Conti (DRC);
and then select wines from Italy,
California and Australia.
Prices for the First Growth
Bordeaux are down almost 35

per cent from their highs a year
ago. Liv-Ex, the ﬁne wine index,
reported that the last 10 vintages of First Growths were down
an average of 33.9 per cent. In
November, prices for the famed
'05 vintage were approaching
ﬁve-year lows.
But Paul Hart of the Chicago-based auction house Hart
Davis Hart sees prices for the
top ﬁve Bordeaux - Haut-Brion,
Margaux, Mouton Rothschild,
Latour and Laﬁte-Rothschild turning around and beginning
to rise.
Meanwhile Burgundies,
especially DRC, were on ﬁre this
past season. Hart reported that

his auction sold four bottles of
the 1990 DRC for $53,775. Acker
Merrall & Condit's John Kapon
sold one lot consisting of eight
cases of DRC for $353,231 at last
Saturday's Hong Kong auction.
Two weeks earlier on December 1 in New York, Sotheby's
sold six bottles of 1995 DRC for
$79,625.
"The bottom line - buy Bordeaux and sell Burgundy," said
Charles Curtis, the former head
of wine for Christie's in New York
and Asia, who is now leading
his own wine consultancy. "The
former is at the same price it was
ﬁve years ago and the latter has
never been higher."

"My sense is that the top
(Burgundy) wines might be at or
just past their peak for this cycle,
but only experience will prove
me out on this one," he said. "Bordeaux prices are looking increasingly attractive and seem for
their part to be headed back up."
Sotheby's Ritchie explained
that while Bordeaux prices were
certainly lower, "the general
wine market is not... Burgundy
is up, California is up and now
it's gone back to having strong
demand from the North American market."
But what about those higher
returns? A new study by a Dutch
economist that examined auc-

tion sales over a 17-year period
found the returns on holding
wine "are higher than equity," or
stocks.
The working paper, Chateau
Migraine or Chateau Riche? An
Empirical Study on Wine as a
Financial Asset appears on the
American Association of Wine
Economists website (www.wineeconomics.org) and examined
auction sales between 1996 and
2012.
"Burgundy wines, more
scarce to due to lower production amounts, yield a higher return than wines from the equally
famous Bordeaux regions," the
study found.

SUNDAY MAIL• December 23, 2012

11
RECIPES

with Maria Socratous

Irresistible nibbles
Smoked Fish Bites
Makes 27
100g full-fat cream cheese
100g skinned smoked mackerel or
other smoked ﬁsh
Finely grated zest of 1lemon
3 rye bread slices
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
Put the cream cheese in food processor. Add the mackerel, lemon zest
and some seasoning. Pulse brieﬂy until well combined but still with some
texture. Empty into a bowl.
Cut each slice of rye bread into 9
equal pieces. Use a knife to smear
some of the ﬁsh cream on to each
piece of bread. Garnish with freshly
cracked pepper and chives and serve.

Fill everyone with
festive cheer with
these ideas for ﬁnger
food
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Put
the potatoes in a roasting tin and
toss through the olive oil with plenty
of seasoning. Roast for 35-40 minutes
until golden and tender. Set aside to
cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, stir together the
soured cream, lemon zest, dill and
some seasoning.
Cut a slit down the length of a potato, then pull the sides apart a little
to open. Repeat with the remaining
potatoes. Top with a dollop of the
soured cream mixture and a curl of
salmon, garnish with a few caviar
eggs and a dill frond and serve.

Pecorino and Date Bites
Makes 16
75g pecorino cheese
8 rashers rindless streaky bacon
16 Medjool* dates, pitted
16 short fresh thyme sprigs, plus
extra to garnish
16 cocktail sticks
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6.
Slice the pecorino cheese into 16
even-sized pieces. Cut each rasher of
bacon in half lengthways.
Stuff each date with a piece of
pecorino, then wrap with a length
of bacon, tucking in a short sprig of
thyme as you roll. Secure with a cocktail stick.
Roast for 12-15 minutes until the
bacon is cooked through and crisp.
Garnish with extra thyme and serve
warm.
*big juicy dry dates

Whyyoushouldeat Olive oil
Living in Cyprus, we’re lucky
enough to have an abundancee
of juicy olives just about everyywhere. There are olive trees in
back gardens, groves stretching across wide rural expanses,
s,
and lonesome scatterings
along road sides. And when it
comes to the delicious oil thatt
they produce, locals like to
slather it on salads and use it
creatively in countless dishes.
The good news is that its
benefits are rather exceptional,
al,
with a great number of studiess
pointing towards the wonderss

December 23, 2012• SUNDAY MAIL

of th
the traditional Mediterranean
diet.
Always
Alw opt for extra virgin olive
oil
oi and you’ll immediately be
on
o the right track. Excellent
for
fo heart heath, you’ll also
be
b reaping the benefits of
vitamin
E as well as vitamins
v
A and K topped off by iron,
calcium,
magnesium and poca
tassium.
Great for skin, bone
ta
and
a cell health, olive oil is
packed
with antioxidants,
p
anti-infl
ammatory and antia
cancer
benefits.
ca
If you fancy integrating olive

Put the chicken pieces in a bowl
with the mango chutney, oil, plenty of
seasoning and half each of the lemon
zest and juice.
Heat a griddle pan to high and cook
the chicken for about 6-8 minutes,
turning occasionally, until cooked
through and lightly charred.
Meanwhile, make the raita. Put the
yoghurt, cucumber, remaining lemon
zest and juice and sliced basil leaves
into a small serving bowl and stir together. Season well.
When the chicken is cooked, top
each piece with a small basil leaf and
secure in place with a cocktail stick.
Serve with the raita.

COMPILED BY ZOE CHRISTODOULIDES
oil into your diet in more ways than
one but aren’t quite sure how, you
might like to think of how you can
use it to replace butter. Truth is, there
are countless ways you can make
your diet healthier. If you’re dishing
out peas, drizzle some oil over them.
The same goes for corn on the cob,
mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and
countless other nibbles that you’d
normally devoir with a dollop of
butter. And rather than using salad
dressing over your greens, add some
drops of oil coupled with a dash of
lemon or vinegar to the mix.
Keep in mind that it’s very important

to watch where you store your olive
oil as heat, light and air can affect
its quality. Be sure to really tighten
the cap on the bottle as oxygen can
cause rancidity. The fats and healthy
phytonutrients in olive oil can slowly
degrade over time, so it's probably
best to use it within six months once
opened. As for cooking or frying
with olive oil, it’s of vital importance
not to heat the oil over its smoke
point. If it smokes or burns, not only
does it give off an unpleasant taste
and smell, but toxins are also released which are harmful to human
health.

e are not overwhelmed by oriental
cuisine in our capital
and any opportunity
to depart from the
plethora of Italian and local tavernas serving up the usual very limited
fare is to be valued. One aspect of
every establishment that purports
to serve the delights of Asia is that
it must meet the requirements of the
Cypriot diner, namely volume, not
generally a feature of the originators, which mostly favours minimalism, presentation and essentially,
ﬂ avour. So it was with this in mind I
entered the Ledra street outpost of
the Pagoda group; Chopsticks.
It was lunch-time on a dismal
Tuesday, the place was empty so I
chose a seat by the window, in the
hope that my presence would encourage others to join me. The restaurant was offering a 20 per cent
reduction on the price of lunches,
which indicated a very sensitive approach to our ﬁ nancial crisis but at
12:45pm on Tuesday it wasn’t having much effect on the passing public.
Gergama, the charming Bulgarian waitress, approached with the
menu and was anxious that I be
aware of the very generous lunchtime offer which remains in place

There are five starters that surprisingly includes a quarter of crispy duck,
normally a main course feature; the rest offers chicken satay, sesame
prawn toast, spring rolls and prawn crackers; nothing of fire pots, hot sour
or even bean curd, no steamers
from 12 until 5pm. However, in the
interest of the readership I eschewed
the temptation and tackled the full
but limited menu. There are ﬁve
starters that surprisingly includes
a quarter of crispy duck, normally
a main course feature; the rest offers chicken satay, sesame prawn
toast, spring rolls and prawn crackers; nothing of ﬁ re pots, hot sour or
even bean curd, no steamers. The
main menu reveals the acuity of the
management: it is directed at the
passing coach trade to make the
tourists from Swindon, Salford and
Stoke-on-Trent feel at home. Their
menu can be replicated throughout
the minor towns of England where
the hoi-poloi is raised on MSG,
hence their strange behaviour. It’s
all there: spare ribs, diced chicken,
sweet and sour pork, beef in oyster
sauce and curry dishes.
A seafood section offers ﬁve different prawn dishes. I select the
fried dumplings, bamboo shoots
with Chinese mushrooms and chili
chicken, in half portions, with a
plate of fried rice. The dumplings
were a good choice, crisp, hot and

satisfying but the accompanying soy
was too salty. Yan-Kit speciﬁes that
the mushrooms, while slimy are full
of exploding taste, mine were just
slimy and the shoots stringy. There
is an unfortunate tendency in most
Cypriot versions of oriental food to
overload on slices of onion, pepper
and carrot; I am happy to report an
absence of carrot. I liked the chili

sauce. The management hasn’t forgotten its Cypriot requirement; the
half portions will feed a battalion.
There are no sweets but they do sell
Chinese beer which I found very interesting.
Half way through, another customer arrived followed shortly by
a couple. Ambience is non-existent
but the place is very clean and tidy
and a huge screen entertains us
with the latest in writhing pop videos; the staff is attractive, eastern
European, charming, and doing
their best in difﬁcult times.
When our package holiday trade
picks up they won’t want to miss
Chopsticks.

SUNDAY MAIL• December 23, 2012

games
Xbox 360 320GB Halo 4 Limited
Edition Console
The Xbox 360 320GB Limited Edition Halo 4
console is a must have for Halo fans worldwide.
Designed by the award winning publisher 343
Industries and Xbox 360, this bundle ships with
an exclusive, customised designed console,
two customised Halo 4 controllers, a standard
edition copy of the game, a massive 320GB hard
drive and exclusive content. Plus, this exclusive
console comes with Wi-Fi built-in for easier
connection to the world of entertainment on
Xbox LIVE.
Largest Hard Drive Available: The Limited Edittion
o co
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hard drive available for
Xbox 360, allowing for
more game add-ons,
more downloads and
more space to store all
your entertainment.
Xbox 360 Black
Headset Chat with

discs
Blur

Parklive
This beautifully
designed box
set captures
what may
prove to be
Blur’s last ever
gig, set in
Hyde Park on
the night of the Olympic closing ceremony. Fortunately, the sound quality on these five discs is
superior to that at the gig itself. This time around
you can actually hear the band playing Tender,
London Loves and Country House - and they
sound brilliant. However, while the CDs of their
Hyde Park gig win the nostalgia stakes, on a musical level it’s the one of their 100 Club gig earlier in
the year that’s most satisfying.
By Rick Pearson

Bee Gees
Mythology
The Brothers Gibb have been part of the musical landscape for as long as anyone without an
old-age pension can remember. They deserve

NASA’s unveiled its new Z-1 spacesuit prototype, and boy does it look familiar.
familia
The new Z-1 sure lo
looks a lot
like good ol’ Buzz Lightyear.
Maybe someone at NASA
Story fan.
is a closet Toy Sto
NASA’s gone
Anyway, NASA
with a new design
and functionalitity direction
with the
w
ZZ-1, putting
a huge port
on the back
of it, which
December 23,
23 2012• SUNDAY MAIL
MA

tainment to you. Instantly stream movies and
TV from Netflix in crystal-clear HD, or download
game add-ons like new levels, characters, maps
and songs. Easily jump right into online multiplayer fun and play along with friends around
the world. Plus, get your favourite music from
Last.fm, connect with friends on Facebook and
post Tweets on Twitter. Xbox LIVE is your connection to more games, entertainment and fun.
Kinect Ready The console features a dedicated,
specialised port to connect seamlessly with the
Kinect Sensor.

a four-CD
box set called
Mythology because,
even if they
were never
the most
charismatic
of groups,
they, individually and
collectively, supplied many threads in the rich
tapestry of pop music. Each brother gets a
CD - and that includes ill-fated younger sibling
Andy, who was never part of the group. Barry,
with some justification, gets the first outing
and, alongside perennials like Jive Talkin’,
Stayin’ Alive and Heartbreaker, we get to be
reminded of his melodic sureness of touch on
To Love Somebody, More than a Woman and,
particularly, Spirits (Having Flown). Robin shines
on Massachusetts, I Started a Joke and New
York Mining Disaster 1941. Maurice and Andy
pale a little, but only in comparison with their
super-talented brothers.
By Pete Clark

allows the astronauts to jump in and out of
it quickly, and be able to dock it directly to
the side of a spaceship or station.

Celestron SkyScout
Personal Planetarium
Particularly well-suited to amateur astronomers who want to learn more about their
hobby, the SkyScout works like a handheld night vision scope
p for the heavens
providing detailedd information
on whatever part of the
sky it’s pointed at..
Using GPS it can
also locate and
direct you to
over 6,000 stars,

Escapism at its best
If you’re after escapism then this is the game
for you. Rich with brilliant graphics, the game
comes via the Modern Toss animated cartoon
series. Described as a ‘global cult cartoon phenomenon’ by its developers, the game centres
around the efforts of iconic hero Sneezeman
whose challenge it is to run, jump, float and
bash his way around Planet Sneeze - simple
right?
Prizes come in the form of medicine pills that
counteract another deadly attack of the sniffles.
See how many you can collect!
There’s a myriad of fantastic levels to battle
through, from the jungle to skyscrapers to an
eerie haunted world.
Sneezeman on iTunes

Various
artists
Acid Jazz:
The 25th
Anniversary
Box Set
Founded as
a lark in a
Rotherhithe
flat, the Acid
Jazz label spawned Jamiroquai but its true worth
was in its catholic taste and its understanding
that dance music is the broadest of churches. At
the time, it was annoyingly hipper than thou, but
time heals wounds and this treasure trove of four
deliciously lengthy CDs, one seven-inch single
and a DVD (including an lengthy interview in
near-darkness with label stalwarts Eddie Piller and
Dean Rudland) restate the label’s case gloriously.
Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes are
super-smooth on Expansions; Galliano flirtations
with gospel like defrocked monks; Paul Weller and
Primal Scream offer cameos and Mother Earth
rediscover and reinvigorate the pastoral side of
Traffic. Untrammelled joy.
By John Aizlewood

planets, and other constellations.

Sound system coffin lets
audiophiles rock out for
eternity
It almost looks like an over-the-top prank by
the Onion, but this coffin - equipped with
speakers and a wireless streaming sound
system - is apparently real. Even its name,
tthee Ca
CataCombo Sound System, seems
lik
like something made up for an SNL
ccommercial parody. But if you
c
can’t
bear the idea of spending
t afterlife without your favourite
the
p
playlist,
this is the coffin for you.

Make texting a bit more fun
Love texting your friends, but find yourself
frustrated by the limited visual style of the average text? Then look no further because TwistPic
is your app! Yes you can now text anyone you
like (even if they don’t have the app) and even
better - it’s 100% free.
The developers behind it have followed
through with this natty little app full of brilliant
templates. Not happy with those? Well you can
also choose from your own images or images
on the web - just watch out for copyright.
Brilliant!
Texting isn’t the most life enhancing activity at
the best of times, but this clever app really does
make it that little bit more fun.
TwistPics on iTunes

TOYSFORTHEBOYS

NASA’s new spacesuit looks
just like Buzz Lightyear

friends on Xbox LIVE, or team up and jump in
with multiplayer game play.
Custom Content Receive a token for downloadable Halo 4 content to enhance your gaming experience.
Built-in Wi-Fi The Xbox 360 is the only console
with 802.11n Wi-Fi built-in for a faster and easier
connection to Xbox LIVE. Stream HD movies
and TV or download games from Xbox LIVE in
1080p and 5.1 surround sound from anywhere
in the house. Compatible with b/g/n networks.
Xbox LIVE Xbox LIVE brings a world of enter-

websites&apps

TECHNOLOGY 13

14 FILM
FILM REVIEW by Preston Wilder

Hard hobbit to break
The ﬁrst instalment in
the new Hobbit trilogy
is exactly the same
generic quest movie
as the old Lord of the
Rings trilogy

L

et’s get the consumerguide aspect out of the way
ﬁrst. Anyone who loved
Lord of the Rings will love
The Hobbit (by the same
director, Peter Jackson). Anyone who
didn’t obviously won’t. Anyone who
mildly enjoyed LOTR but wondered
why it had to be so long – remember
the endless pile-up of endings in Return of the King? – may well lose patience with the new ﬁlm, for two reasons. First, because it’s based on a
much shorter book (J.R.R. Tolkien’s
Hobbit, written for kids, is 300 pages
long) which it stretches out mercilessly, Unexpected Journey being the
ﬁrst instalment in a trilogy that’ll
take us to Christmas 2014. Second,
because – how to put this nicely? – it’s
just more of the same.
That’s the depressing part: that
Jackson, a director who burst out of
the gate with hyperactive energy in
the late 80s, making horror ﬁ lms of
deranged inventiveness, has now – after the disappointment of King Kong
and the outright failure of The Lovely Bones – crawled back to the cosy
nooks and crannies of Middle-Earth.

For all its talk of new technology (the
ﬁ lm was shot at 48 frames per second,
though most cinemas – including
our local multiplex – don’t have the
equipment to screen it that way), The
Hobbit is a sizeable step backwards.
This is the ﬁ lm of a director licking
his wounds.
The less depressing part is that
Jackson hasn’t forgotten how to
play this game. The landscapes are
majestic, the God’s-eye shots often
stunning; early on, there’s a vista of
myriad refugees trudging across a
ﬂooded wilderness that stirs the soul
with its epic beauty. The refugees are
dwarves – not Snow White’s comical midgets but stubby, stubborn
warriors – and they’ve been cast out
of their kingdom of Erebor by the
dragon Smaug. That whole prologue
(which wasn’t in the book), showing
how the fortiﬁed mountain kingdom
was devastated by the ﬁre-breathing
monster, is rousingly done even if
Smaug remains mostly unseen (I assume they’re saving him for later instalments). You could stop watching
after 20 minutes and come away satisﬁed. Unfortunately, you still have

The lines
often
thud, the
supporting
characters
are ciphers

150 to go.
The Hobbit’s name is Baggins,
but the ﬁ lm itself is baggy – a generic
quest movie in which Bilbo (our hero),
13 dwarfs and the wizard Gandalf
ride to Erebor to reclaim what was
lost, running into trouble at every
turn. It’s exactly like a videogame,
with a through-line and a succession
of obstacles – though it also feels like
a book with lengthy footnotes, any
stray mention of something (the forest wizard Radagast the Brown, say)
seeming to spur a digression or ﬂashback. There are orcs, trolls, stone
giants, even a necromancer. There’s
‘Azog the Deﬁler’, a villain with the
mug of an albino Leatherface. We
learn intriguing snippets of Tolkien
lore – for instance that “dwarf doors
are invisible when closed”, or that
Moon-runes can only be read under
a Moon of the same shape and season
as the one that shone when they were
written. Did you know that dwarfs are
meat-eaters, whereas elves are veggies? And of course there are battles
at every opportunity, that being the
reason why Jackson shot the thing
at 48 fps in the ﬁrst place – a process
(apparently) that ﬂattens out the visuals but allows battle scenes to go
berserk without unsightly blurring.
That said, Jackson’s battle scenes
are longer on spectacle than detail; his
trademark (both here and in LOTR)
is the panoramic shot ﬁ lled with running and jumping, his warriors scurrying like frantic insects. It’s dismay-

filmsummaries
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Seven Psychopaths

A hobbit named Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is
swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.
Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf
the Grey (Ian McKellen), Bilbo finds himself joining
a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey
will take them into the Wild, through treacherous
lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly
Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the
wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must
escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the
creature that will change his life forever … Gollum.
Also starring Richard Armitage and Andy Serkis.
Directed by Peter Jackson. In English, with occasional dialogue in made-up languages with Greek
subtitles. In 3D. (Adventure fantasy, 169 mins.)
Our rating:

Irish screenwriter Marty Faranan (Colin Farrell)
has come down with a bad case of writer’s block.
He has the title for his next script, ‘Seven Psychopaths’, but is struggling to write it. Billy (Sam
Rockwell) is Marty’s best friend, an unemployed
actor and part-time dog-napper, who wants to
help Marty by any means necessary. Hans (Christopher Walken) is Billy’s partner in crime; they
snatch dogs, then return them and claim the
reward – but they get in trouble when they dognap Bonny the shih tzu, whose owner Charlie
(Woody Harrelson) is a psychopathic gangster.
Now Marty’s going to get all the inspiration he
needs for his subject matter – as long as he lives
to tell the tale. Also starring Abbie Cornish and
Tom Waits. Directed by Martin McDonagh. (Dark
comedy, 110 mins.)
Our rating:

Shadow Dancer
Single mother Collette McVeigh (Andrea Riseborough) is a Republican living in 1993 Belfast with
her mother and hardliner IRA brothers. When
she’s arrested for her part in an aborted IRA bomb
plot in London, an M15 officer called Mac (Clive
Owen) offers her a choice: lose everything and go
to prison for 25 years, or return to Belfast to spy
on her own family. With her son’s life in her hands,
Collette chooses to place her trust in Mac and return home. But when her brothers’ secret operation is ambushed, suspicions of an informant are
raised and Collette finds herself and her family in
grave danger. Also starring Gillian Anderson. Directed by James Marsh. (Drama, 101 mins.)
Our rating:

Hotel Transylvania
Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula’s lav-

THE HOBBIT: AN
UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
DIRECTED BY Peter Jackson
STARRING Martin Freeman, Ian
McKellen, Richard Armitage,
Andy Serkis
US/New Zealand 2012 169 mins
ing how samey The Hobbit is; not only
have we seen it all before, we keep
seeing it again and again. The quest
is banal, a journey of self-discovery
where Bilbo will (eventually) ﬁnd
he has “more to offer” than anyone
imagined, including himself; mention of “the Beast” raises thoughts of
a spiritual angle, but there’s nothing
overtly religious about this motley
crew. The ﬁlm is also lacking Elijah
Wood’s unearthly Frodo (he appears
brieﬂy in a 60-years-later opening
scene, a kind of prologue to the prologue), though Martin Freeman does
well as the rather prissy Bilbo. And
of course Gollum – tortured, schizophrenic Gollum – is great, but then we
already know Gollum is great. We’ve
been here and done this, though I
guess completists will be thrilled to
view the moment when he actually
loses his “preciousssss”.
“It is the small things, everyday
deeds of ordinary folk, that keep the
darkness at bay,” says Gandalf at
one point – but Jackson, like James
Cameron and Steven Spielberg, isn’t
interested in keeping it small. Film
culture is increasingly big nowadays,
partly because it’s increasingly migrated to TV: a 9-hour Hobbit is nothing compared to the 80-hour Lost or
the 40-hour-and-counting Breaking
Bad – and indeed Unexpected Journey has a TV rhythm, that steady,
prosaic, rather long-winded rhythm.
To be fair, Jackson’s style was always
spectacular, making him a good ﬁt
for epic fantasy – or maybe it’s that
Tolkien is a sure thing, a familiar destination (blending grandeur, bloodshed and folksy humour) which, once
experienced, you keep coming back
to again and again. It’s a hard hobbit
to break.

ish five-stake resort, where monsters and
their families can live it up, free to be the
monsters they are without humans to bother them. It’s a special weekend and Dracula has
invited some of his best friends – Frankenstein
and his wife, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the
Werewolf family and many more – to celebrate
his beloved daughter Mavis’ 118th birthday. For
good old Drac, catering to all of these legendary
monsters is no problem; but everything could
change for the over-protective dad when one
ordinary human guy stumbles on the hotel and
takes a shine to Mavis. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. In 3D. DUBBED INTO GREEK. (Cartoon
comedy, 91 mins.)
Our rating:

s it coincidence, or market
research? Suddenly the multiplex is awash with laddish,
unabashedly violent entertainments aimed at young
men: ﬁ rst Killing Me Softly (the best
of the lot), then Lawless and now
Seven Psychopaths, an ‘18’-rated
comedy from the writer-director of
In Bruges. At the moment, local cinemas are reserved for children under
12 – the inevitable pre-Christmas
’toons – and males in their early
20s. What happened to all the chickﬂ icks?
Not that I’m complaining (though
it’s been a while since my early 20s).
Martin McDonagh, the mad Irishman and award-winning playwright
behind Psychopaths, writes ﬂavourful dialogue, and the actors are
game; the cast alone makes this one
worth watching, especially Christopher Walken who channels his
spaced-out detachment into tenderness and gives his best performance
in years. Walken’s been playing dads
for the past decade, but here he’s a
doting husband and it’s both funny
and touching to see his grins and
playful endearments and dancer’s
jiggles – little zigs and zags from his
own private world – when he gazes at
his wife with love in his eyes.
Walken’s partner in (petty) crime
is Sam Rockwell; they kidnap dogs,
then claim the reward. Rockwell’s
best friend is Colin Farrell, a gifted
but blocked screenwriter trying to
write his next script. It’s called ‘Seven Psychopaths’ but so far he only
has one psychopath “and he’s more

The
violence
throughout
is extreme,
but it’s
used
creatively:
much
of it is
contained
in films
within the
film

of a Buddhist”. He’d like the script to
be “life-afﬁ rming,” explains Colin;
the ﬁ rst half can wallow in the usual
blood-soaked violence, but then he
wants the characters to sit down and
talk in the second half, “just human
beings talking”. Sam, a believer in
revenge plots and ﬁ nal shoot-outs, is
predictably shocked: “What, are we
making French movies now?” he exclaims scathingly.
McDonagh has a French-movie
streak in him. In Bruges was deceptively complex and elegiac beneath
its British-crime-thriller belligerence, moving up a gear in the third act
into something surreal and dreamlike. Seven Psychopaths tries to pull
the same trick, taking its characters
into the desert and bringing out the

tasies. To be fair, that’s where it tries
to go – but McDonagh, who wrote
the script seven years ago, seems
reluctant to explode that whole
post-Tarantino smugness. It’s one
thing to note (correctly) that you’re
allowed to kill a woman in a crime
peyote – handy tip: don’t mention
thriller but you can’t kill an animal,
an “elephant in the room” during a
and it’s astute when Walken tells our
peyote party – but the bid for halluhero, after reading his script, that
cinatory strangeness doesn’t quite
“Your women characters are awcome off. In fact the ﬁ lm outstays its
ful” – but the women characters in
welcome, mostly because it’s too atMcDonagh’s movie (the one we’re
tached to the crime-thriller convenwatching) really are awful, and they
tions it’s supposedly subverting.
don’t get any better. The ﬁ nal act
Sam, it turns out, is one of the
should’ve either abandoned real life
seven psychopaths. Tom Waits is an(like the ﬁ nal act of Adaptation) or
other, a serial killer with a swathe of
embraced it, but in fact it does neibloody murders in his past. Woody
ther. The ﬁ lm doesn’t seem to have
Harrelson is yet another, a gangster
a take on its ‘meta’ aspects: they’re
whose dog is dog-napped by our hejust there, adding incidental value –
roes, kicking off the main plot. The
but it doesn’t turn into a bloodbath,
violence throughout is extreme, but
and it doesn’t turn into a French
it’s used creatively: much of it is conmovie.
tained in ﬁ lms within the ﬁ lm – posStill, it’s a personal project. Mcsible ideas for Colin’s script – as if to
Donagh, like his hero, is both Irish
contrast ultra-violence with, for inand a writer (Catholic guilt makes an
stance, a cancer ward where Death
appearance, ditto Heaven and Hell).
lurks more mundanely. There’s a
Seven Psychopaths can be cherished
clever bit when Colin asks his mates
for its little moments: Rockwell’s dewhat they should do (the psychos
construction of Mahatma Gandhi,
are piling up by this time) and gets
Waits cuddling a rabbit, Walken’s eca gung-ho reply involving shoot-outs
centric reading of the line “A cravat”.
and killings. Pause. “And what do
But the ﬁ lm also ends up pronouncyou do think we should do in real
ing its own verdict, as it sprawls into
life?”
its rather disjointed second hour:
That’s where the ﬁ lm should’ve
“You’re the one who thought psychos
gone, using ‘real
were so interesting. But they’re
life’ as a lever to Ratings Key
kind of tiresome after a while, don’t
unlock violent fan- Unforgettable you think?”. Kind of.
Unmissable
Recommendable
Watchable
Regrettable
Abominable

making ‘moonshine’ whisky which they sell to
friends and neighbours – including the local sheriff – in Franklin County, Virginia. Their livelihood
is threatened by the arrival of Charlie Rakes (Guy
Pearce), a ‘special deputy’ from Chicago who has
come to Virginia to stop those who violate the
law of the land. What that means is that those
who pay a fee are allowed to continue bootlegging while those who don’t are shut down,
often by force. The Bondurants refuse to give
in to Rakes, and their stubbornness instigates a
war. Also starring Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman
and Mia Wasikowska. Directed by John Hillcoat.
(Crime drama, 116 mins.)
Our rating:

man), the Tooth Fairy (voice of Isla Fisher) and
the Sandman, whose job is to protect children
everywhere. Jack is an unwilling hero; he’d prefer to roam the world on his own, freezing ponds
and causing snow days – but the world’s children
are threatened by Pitch (voice of Jude Law), a.k.a.
The Boogie Man, who wants to turn dreams into
nightmares and banish belief in Santa, Bunny,
and Tooth. Jack reluctantly agrees to help and,
in the process, discovers the true hero within.
Directed by Peter Ramsey. In 3D. (Cartoon adventure, 97 mins.)
Our rating:

Rise of the Guardians

Bella (Kristen Stewart) is enjoying her new life
and new powers after the birth of Renesmee, her
daughter with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert
Pattinson). Soon, however, their family bliss is
threatened again, by a new menace. The vam-

pire Irina (Maggie Grace) believes
a child like Renesmee could challenge the power and existence of the Volturi. As
Irina rallies the Volturi to destroy this potential
threat, Bella and the Cullens – together with any
allies they can assemble – prepare for a crucial
battle to protect their family. Also starring Taylor
Lautner and Billy Burke. Directed by Bill Condon.
(Fantasy drama, 115 mins.)
Our rating:

Taken 2
Four years ago, retired CIA agent Bryan Mills
(Liam Neeson) stopped at nothing to save his
17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), kidnapped in Paris by Albanian kidnappers to be
sold into prostitution. Murad (Rade Serbedzija),
the father of one of the kidnappers killed by
Mills in that operation, has sworn revenge, and
takes Mills and his wife Lenore (Famke Janssen)
hostage during their family vacation in Istanbul.

Skyfall
A hard-drive listing all NATO operatives undercover in terrorist organisations is stolen, and
used to make M (Judi Dench), the head of British Intelligence, look bad. Though not in peak
condition after a near-death experience, secret
agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) sets out to recover the drive, which leads him to mystery man
Silva (Javier Bardem) – a psycho who’s nursing a
grudge, and has a revenge scheme in mind. Also
starring Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and Albert
Finney. Directed by Sam Mendes. (Action-drama,
143 mins.)
Our rating: ****

16 FILM

Films change on Friday. Check the Cyprus Mail for details of new films for Friday and Saturday.

newreleases

Wreck-It Ralph

Life of Pi

Wreck-It Ralph

Arbitrage

Wreck-It Ralph is a videogame villain who longs to
be as beloved as his game’s perfect hero, Fix-It Felix.
Problem is, nobody loves a villain. Ralph somehow
needs to transform himself into a hero – so he sneaks
into a first-person-shooter war game, planning to
win a medal, but soon wrecks everything, accidentally unleashing a deadly enemy that threatens every
game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope
von Schweetz, a young troublemaking “glitch” from
a saccharine cart-racing game who might just be the
one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy.
Directed by Rich Moore. DUBBED INTO GREEK. In 3D.
(Kids’ cartoon, 101 mins.)
Our rating:

On his 60th birthday, New York hedge-fund magnate
Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is the very picture of a
successful businessman. Behind the façade of success and wealth, however, Miller is desperately trying
to complete the sale of his trading empire to a major
bank before the enormity of his fraud is exposed.
Struggling to conceal his duplicity from loyal wife Ellen (Susan Sarandon) and brilliant daughter and heirapparent Brooke (Brit Marlin g), Miller is also hiding
an affair with French art-dealer Julie (Laetitia Casta).
Just as he’s about to unload his troubled empire, an
unexpected bloody error forces him to juggle family,
business and crime – but a cop (Tim Roth) is on his
case. Directed by Nicholas Jarecki. (Dramatic thriller,
107 mins.)
Our rating:

Life of Pi
Growing up in Pondicherry, India during the 1970s, Piscine, known to all as Pi (played as a teenager by Suraj
Sharma, as an adult by Irrfan Khan), has a rich life. His
father owns a zoo, and Pi spends his days among tigers, zebras, hippos, and other creatures. But after Pi
attempts to befriend a Bengal tiger, named Richard
Parker, the young boy learns a harsh lesson from his
father about the relationship between human and
beast. As circumstances worsen for them, the family
decides to move to Canada, hitching a ride on a Japanese cargo ship – but Pi soon finds himself in the company of a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and Richard
Parker after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific
Ocean. Directed by Ang Lee. In 3D. (Drama, 127 mins.)
Our rating:

Zarafa
A grandfather tells his grandchildren the story of
Maki, a young boy who escapes from slave traders,
befriends a giraffe (the title character), crosses the
desert, meets a pirate, and a few other things on a
trip that takes him from Africa to Paris. Directed by
Remi Bezancon and Jean-Christophe Lie. DUBBED
INTO GREEK. (Kids’ cartoon, 78 mins.)
Our rating: N/A
Zarafa

Get loopy at new festival
Following on from the
success of last year’s
event a second Loop
Festival will be held
in Nicosia in early
January says ZOE
CHRISTODOULIDES

Sancho 003

Mo Kolours

T

he Christmas madness has ofﬁcially
descended upon the
capital. Shops are
packed, people in the
supermarkets are pushing and
shoving their way towards the
tills, and night time establishments are ﬁ lled with crowds
bobbing away to upbeat tunes.
What’s more, the past week has
witnessed countless fun events
and festivals organised around
town, from festive markets to
live music performances and
warehouse parties.
But as the upcoming Christmas holiday week descends
upon us, organisers tend to shy
away from hosting events as
family occasions move to the
fore while many take to the road
for a welcome escape away from
the daily routine.
Louvana Records in Nicosia however is intent on giving
music hungry crowds something
to look forward to once the post
Christmas blues set in with a
quirky festival set to come to
life during the ﬁrst weekend of
January.
Often deemed one of the
most depressing months of the

year, January tends to be a time
where the outdoors become less
appealing as the comfort of the
couch takes over. The Louvana
Nicosia Loop Festival however
should see a great big swinging
party come to life, much like
last year’s event, which hosted
artists from Cyprus and abroad
who are working with live looping techniques to create music
in a live context.
Now the second occasion
of its kind, the idea is that of
promoting a good deal of experimentation. And in this light,
Louvana has invited exceptional
musicians from Greece, England

and Cyprus, carefully selected
for their knowledge on both a
technical and aesthetic level.
With the bands and artists set
to perform coming from varying
musical backgrounds and each
employing a different approach
regarding the use of their instruments, it will all add to the diversity and fun of the occasion.
As for the very idea of ‘looping’, the technique is one which
gives the artist the ability to
build a complex, multi-layered
musical piece in real time. This
is achieved by creating melodic
and rhythmic phrases (with
natural or electronic instru-

ments) that once structured can
be repeated as recorded samples
over which the artist continues
to add new lines. More often
than not, the ﬁnal result can
stand as a completed musical
piece the musician presents to
the audience how a song is built
on the spot.
Go along to the Melina
Mercouri Hall on the weekend
of January 5 and 6 and you’ll
be inundated with great tunes.
This year will include the amazing cellist Yiorgos Kaloudis set
to present works from his two
solo albums as well as tunes by
double bassist and composer

What’sonlistings

Exhibition

Exhibitions
Nicosia district

Cyprus-Germany: 800
Years of History and
Culture
An insight in the historical and
cultural relations between Cyprus
and Germany since the period
of the Crusades. The exhibition
presents archaeological remains,
documents, old printings,
paintings, historical items and
church treasures. Until December
31. The Society of Cypriot
Studies (Old Archbishopric
Palace, Opposite Pancypriot
Gymnasium), Nicosia. Tel: 22432578

December 23, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

Michalis Siganidis, who’ll be
presenting a solo set using a
tape and loops along with great
guitar beats.
Louvana is also particularly
excited by the arrival of Sancho 003 who’ll be playing their
beats from their Muzga album.
While many will remember the
band from their appearance last
year, they have previously taken
to the stage in countless foreign festivals. To add to all the
fun, crowds can also enjoy Mo
Kolours jetting in from London
to do their thing. Not wanting
to give too much away, organisers have announced that crowds
can expect a beautiful mix of
English electronica and hiphop, along with African rhythm
fused with vocal and orchestral
elements.
All this will be topped off
by the sounds of local talents
introducing some new projects
including Plain History, Acapella Solo Loop and M.Edo to
be accentuated by the rhythms
Giannis Koutis and his standalone project. Looks like it will
soon be time to let your hair
down and get a little loopy.

Larnaca district
Ceramic Art Exhibition
More than 60 works by Cypriot and Maltese ceramists. Until January 10. Larnaca Municipal Gallery. Monday-Friday: 9am-1pm & 3pm-6pm
Helen Tumelty’s Mosaic Studio
Permanent exhibition of mosaic pictures, tables
and mirrors. Just off Zenon Kitieos St. Studio also
offers mosaic classes in a small friendly environment throughout the year. Tel: 99-925315

TURN TO PAGE 19

18 WHAT’S ON
Nightlife
Nicosia district
Christmas Eve with Eva Kyriakou
Music from the 80s, 90s and todays with Eva
Kyriakou live and Dj Chris Angelo on decks.
December 24. Retro Club, 18 Omirou Street.
11pm. Tel: 96-888508

Cabaret Dinner Show
Soprano Katerina Mina and Maestro Yiannis Hadjiloizou in a Christmas Special. With
music from opera, jazz, musicals, and more
December 25. Academy 32, Constantinou
Paleologou 32, Old Nicosia. 8.30pm. €32
including food, wine and dessert. www.
academy32.com

Christmas Eve Party
Kaela Santosh as Tina Turner plus stand
up comic and DJ Lukas. December 24.
Pentaras Hall, Coral Bay Road. 7.30pm.
€30 including international buffet.
Reservations essential - Tel: 99-832538.
Tickets must be purchased in advance
at Pentaras or by phone

New Years Eve Party
Abba Dabba Do plus stand up comic
and DJ Lukas. December 31.Pentaras
Hall, Coral Bay Road. 7.30pm. €30 including international buffet. Reservations essential - Tel: 99-832538. Tickets
must be purchased in advance at Pentaras or by phone

New Year Party at JJ’s
New Year’s Eve party with Groovejet.
December 31. JJ’s Bar (above Sophie’s
Restaurant), Peyia Village. 7.30pm.
Food and unlimited local drinks included in the €30 ticket price. Tickets
available from JJ’s. Tel: 96-636646

Eat Drink and be Merry
New Year’s Eve carvery with the finest international buffet (4 courses), after dinner countdown show and New Year’s Disco till late. December 31. Paliomonastiro Peyia.7pm. €30 per
person. Tel: 96-818066

Come and enjoy a glass of wine, your favourite cocktail or dinner while you listen to violin
pedagogue Professor Robert Hovanesyan and
member of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra.
Marlenka Cafe, 92-94 Phaneromenis Street, old
Nicosia. Every Saturday and Sunday evening
from 8.30pm. Tel: 70-001129

A Christmas show with famous music from opera and musicals topped off by some jazz rhythms.
December 25. Academy 32, Constantinou Paleologou 32,
Old Nicosia. 8.30pm. €32 including food, wine and dessert.
8.30pm. www.academy32.com

On Mondays rediscover your romantic side with
Violin Duo playing classical music and popular
melodies on the violin. Every Wednesday, local
guitarist - Byron Athinodorou will be playing
a mix of Spanish melodies, pop-rock hits and
Greek classics on the guitar, alongside his own
compositions. Every Friday Jazz – Blues night
with a mix of upbeat and smooth jazz classics.
Crowne Plaza. Tel: 25-851515

Local band playing live Cuban-Latin sounds
every Sunday. Wet Beach Bar, Amathountos Avenue. 9pm-11.30pm. Tel: 25-320006

Music Nights
Entechno and folk music at RED. Every Saturday.
Red, Dionysus 15, old town hall square. Tel: 22767711. www.music.net.cy/red

teacher, the now opera soprano is based in London while
often jetting off abroad to take part in festivals and concerts. Katerina stands as the winner of a number of international singing competitions including the First Concorso
Vocale Internazionale di Musica Sacra and the Seventh
Julian Gayarre International Singing Competition. As for
Yiannis, he is well known both as a pianist and composer,
while also standing as the proud conductor of the Cyprus
Symphony Orchestra.

Crowne Plaza Lounge-Bar

Marlenka Café Music Weekends

With various live music shows each week, with
a focus on English and Greek rock. Athinas St.
old Nicosia. Wednesdays & Thursdays 11pm-2pm, Fridays-Saturdays 11.30-3pm. Reservations:
22-430121/99-617820

Live music takes
ante up a notch
Piaf Lounge Bar, Larnaca
As the winter season well and truly kicks in, the options for
a good night out become restricted. With the roofs having
slid across the open air clubs and the tourist bars of Ayia
Napa in hibernation, many prefer to stay wrapped up at
home on a weekend night rather than endure smoke-filled
hours of tediousness in a loud, crowded club. However,
there is another alternative from the common winter night
out in Larnaca.
Piaf Lounge Bar opened exactly two years ago and did not
exactly light up the Larnaca scene in the beginning, yet this
small establishment has upped the ante in recent months,
with a new approach that is becoming a very popular
choice among outgoers of all ages.
Situated opposite Costa Coffee, adjacent to Sky Bar, Piaf is
a vibrant little bar which is proving to be a good option for
an enjoyable night out. The inside is lavished with dramatic
furniture, old style couches, large mirrors and even a few
pillars for good measure. The service is impressive with an
attendant at your service on entry to take your jacket to the
cloakroom if you wish. And an additional benefit of such
a small place is that it never takes longer than a minute to
refill your glass with a bar situated right in the middle.
Piaf is attracting a large gathering of late, thanks in large
part to its hosting of live performers. Local acts usually
perform each Thursday and Friday night starting at 9.30pm
and 10.30pm respectively where an awesome atmosphere
is created by appreciators of real music.
It must be noted that, due to the limited space of the bar,
in order to find a decent spot on Fridays and Saturdays, it is
strongly advised that you arrive fairly early.

Irish pub playing live jazz, Latin and blues music
on Thursday and Sunday nights. 80 Amathountas Ave. Tel: 25-821082

by Andreas Vou

Paphos district

Wine, music and song
Tis officially the season to be jolly and it looks as though
Academy 32 in Nicosia is going all out this Christmas with
a full on show to get you singing along to all your classic
favourites. Intent on getting crowds off the couch on the
night of the 25th, an evening is being planned characterised by famous music from operas and musicals, punctuated by some infectious jazz rhythms. With soprano Katerina
Mina and Yiannis Hadjiloizou stepping into the limelight
as the stars of the show, you’ll be able to tuck into dinner,
dessert and a good dose of delicious wine as the music
takes you on a spectacular
faraway journey.
Katerina should delight
the audience, touted as
one of the finest sopranos
of her generation. Originally a pianist and music

BAR REVIEW

Open air bar/café playing chill out music and
offering a great selection of cocktails. Grecian
Park Hotel, Konnos Bay, Cavo Creco, Protaras.
12noon-2am daily. Tel: 23-832000

Theatre &
Dance
Nicosia district
Gourouniasmata
Silver Spotlight presents the new musical for children by Katerina Christofidou and Aigli Spyridaki.
December 22-23 at 11am. Melina Merkouri Hall,
Famagusta Gate, old Nicosia. €10. In Greek. Tel:
97-876760
Noah’s Family
A theatrical play for children written by Xenia Kalogeropoulou and Thomas Moschopoulos. Until
December 23. THOC New Theatre Building, 9 Gregori Afxentiou. Every Sunday at 10.30am. In Greek.
Tel: 22-864300
Shakespeare in an Hour
Pirasmos Productions presents the theatrical
comedy. Until December 23. Pantheon Art Cinema, 29 Diagorou Street. Thursday through Sunday
at 8.30pm. In Greek. Tel: 70-001910
The Magic Flute
The Children’s Stage of Satiriko Theatre presents
play adapted and directed by Thanasis Theologis.
Until December 23. Vladimiros Kafkarides Cultural Centre, 11-15 Vladimiros Kafkarides Street,
Αglantzia. Every Sunday at 10.30am. €10. In Greek.
Tel: 22-312940/22-421609
11:16
Anemona Theatre presents a mystery by C. G.
Wilson. Until December 23. Anemona Theatre, 7
Archagelou Street, Latsia. Every Friday and Saturday at 8.30pm and Sunday at 8pm. In Greek. €10.
Tel: 22-573031
65 Minutes
A performance by the Theatro Dentro within the
framework of the 4th X-Dream Festival. December
27-30 and January 3-5. 9pm. (Additional performance on January 5 at 10.30pm). ARTos Cultural
and Research Foundation, 64 Ayion Omoloyiton
Avenue. In Greek. Tel: 99-384606
Misery
Stephen King’s psychological thriller staged by
Satiriko Theatre. Every Friday and Saturday. Until
December 29. Vladimiros Kafkarides Cultural Centre, 11-15 Vladimiros Kafkarides Street, Αglantzia.
8.30pm. Tel: 22312940- 22421609. email: satiriko@
cytanet.com.cy. www.satiriko.com
Just Broken Up
Act Theatre presents play by Vassilis Myrianthopoulos & Vangelis Hatzinikolaou. Cyprus
Dialect Adaptation by Christiana Artemiou.
Until January 6. Latsia Municipal Theatre, 57
Yiannos Kranidiotis Avenue. On specific days
at 8.30pm and 6pm on Sundays. €20. Tel: 77777181
Spring Awakening
THOC presents work by Frank Wedekind, directed
by Dimitris Lignadis. Until January 26. THOC New
Theatre Building, 9 Gregori Afxentiou. Every
Wednesday through Sunday at 8.30pm. In Greek.
Tel: 77-772717/22-864300
The Elephant Man
Theatro Ena presents a play by Bernard Pomerance, translated and directed by Andreas Christodoulides. Until January 27. Theatro Ena, 4 Athinas
Avenue. Every Friday through Sunday at 8.30pm.
In Greek. €15/12. Tel: 22-348203
Social Security
THOC presents a play by Andrew Bergman. Until
January 27. THOC New Theatre Building, 9 Gregori Afxentiou. Friday through Sunday. Friday &
Sunday at 8.30pm, Saturday at 6pm and 8.30pm.
Tel: 77-772717/22-

Larnaca district
All I Want For Christmas.....
A play staged by Antidote Theatre, written and
performed by Catherine Beger. December 29.
Larnaca Youth Foundation, near Ayios Lazaros
Church. 5pm. In English. €7/5. Tel: 96-216435

Call for works of motion graphics
It’s all systems go in the world of graphics as
the International Motion Festival (IMF) calls
out to all hopefuls who wish to get their creativity acknowledged in the upcoming March
2013 event. Open for all to apply, organisers
are keen to get hold of works from a range of
varying talents, whether you’re an emerging
or more established artist, student or professional.
While the IMF is organised by the Arts Department of the European university of Cyprus, it
sprang to life last year as the first festival of
its kind both on the island and the broader
Mediterranean and Middle East region. Bringing together the likes of film-makers, video
artists, computer animators and many more
professionals, it aims to familiarise the public
with what has traditionally remained an ‘invisible art’.
Although motion graphics has been around
for decades as a discipline, suffice to say that
it has only recently taken leaps forward and
been acknowledged as an art form in its own
right. All about opening the doorway for the
presentation of the most contemporary and
creative work in the field of motion graphics,
Sonic Arts 6.0 Cyprus
A celebration of the launch of the Sonic Arts
6.0 Cyprus’ album featuring compositions by
Cypriot sonic artists. December 28. Pantheon
Cultural Association – Tritos, 40 Evagorou. 9pm.
Free. Email: info@pantheonculture.org
Open Call for Motion Work: Second
International Motion Festival
A call to artists to submit their works for the
March 2013 IMF. Deadline for submission: December 31. For more information visit the festival’s webpage at: http://www.motionfestivalcyprus.com
Cyprus, Pictures of Cinema
Photo exhibition by Panicos Chrysanthou taken
during the course of his activities at the Nicosia
Film Club and film shootings. Parallel to the exhibition there will be a series of screenings with
Cypriot and European films. Until December 28.
Peace Cultural Center of Nicosia Municipality,
end of Ledra Street. Tel: 99-434923
Point Centre for Contemporary Art
Within the framework of the opening ceremony
of the new contemporary art centre. Until February 15. Point Centre for Contemporary Art
Megaron Hadjisavva, 2 Evagorou Street. Tel:
22-662053. Email: info@pointcentreforcontemporaryart.com
7 films: Harun Farocki
A selection of screenings by legendary German
filmmaker, critic and teacher followed by discussion and talk with the artist
Bidoun Library
A mobile library consisting of books, magazines
and other printed matter about the Middle East
Kyriakos Michaelides Tailor Museum
A sightseeing attraction for visitors in the area as
well as a space where the young and new generations may become aware of the richness of the
traditional tailor’s craft dating back to the sixties.
Old Nicosia, Phaneromeni area. Tel: 99-796333
Singing Group
Singing for fun. All kinds of music in harmony
small Nicosia group Tuesdays 5.30pm-7pm, all
welcome. Call Olivia 99-497318
Rooftop Theatre Group
Regular play script-writing workshop. In the
room next to Kala Kathoumena coffee shop in
old Nicosia (Phaneromeni Square). 6pm. In English. Tel: 22- 661354
Kindermusik with Vaso
Come and see how music and movement can
stimulate your young child’s developing mind
and body. Tel: 96-693462. For full details please
visit: www.kindermusikwithvaso.com. kindermusikwithvaso@gmail.com
Childrens African DrumagiQ
Includes: Drums and rhythm tuition with educational approach, psychological expertise,
culture, customs, games, dance and innovative
creative techniques. Every Friday. Kisa Centre,
old Nicosia. 5-6pm for children under 12, 6-7pm
for children 12-15. Tel: 22-878181
TANGO-y-TU presents
Eight week foundation course every Wednesday. Athena’s School of Dance, 13 Prince Charles
St, Ayios Dometios - opposite Asty Hotel. 7.309pm €16 per class €55 prepaid for 4 weeks +
free CD. Improvers/Intermediate Class. 9pm10.30pm - €16 per class or €55 for 4 prepaid. Tel:
99-377102 www.tango-y-tu.com - email: janetvakis@googlemail.com
Tango Argentine Classes
Tango classes and bi-communal Milonga. Regular classes every Sunday. Ledra Palace, 12 Markos
Drakos Street. Classes: for beginners and advanced on Sundays. 9pm. Tel: 99-651706. www.
ledratango.com

organisers are holding out hope that it will
become a pioneering event as the years go by,
promoting innovative and cutting edge work.
This March, the occasion will see industry professionals rub shoulders with artists, scholars,
students and the general public in a three-day
occasion designed to provoke and inspire.
The festival will include screenings of selected
motion work, keynote lectures from scholars
in the field, as well as workshops relating to
motion graphics and broadcasting software
and tools.
All those of you wishing to take part must get
their thinking caps on immediately as the last
date for submissions has been set for December 31. Take note that there is no participation
fee, while more information on entry categories can be found on the festival webpage.
Open Call for Motion Work: Second
International Motion Festival
A call to artists to submit their works for the
March 2013 IMF. Deadline for submission:
December 31. For more information visit the
festival’s webpage at: http://www.motionfestivalcyprus.com

Healing Rooms
Free 20 minutes healing sessions for the wellbeing of spirit, mind and body in a loving atmosphere. Confidential. Every second and fourth
Thursday of the month. 8-9.30pm. 225 Strovolos
Avenue, near Metro roundabout. Tel: 99-771084
Inter-faith prayers and meditation
Every Friday. Baha’i Centre, 11 Parthenonos, Kaimakli. Tel: 22-624283
HIV Discussion Group
Discussing issues around HIV for sufferers and
friends. Every Thursday. UNESCO Amphitheatre,
Intercollege, Makedonitissas Ave. 7pm. Free
Nicosia Horrible Hash House Harriers
Exercise, eat, drink and be merry with Nicosia
Hash House Harriers. Meetings every Tuesday
7.30pm for a walk, jog or run around Nicosia. For
directions to the run or more info, Tel: 99-308436
or visit www.nh4.com.cy
Toastmasters Crusaders Club
Improve your public speaking skills. Meetings
every three Fridays. Tel: 99-851102. www.tmcrusaders.com
Nicosia Writers’ Workshop
If you enjoy creative writing and want to meet
people with similar skills, then the Nicosia Writers’ Workshop is the place to be, so bring your
ideas and we’ll open a new world together. 48
Rik Avenue, Angantzia. Every Sunday from 11am1pm. Free membership to new candidates. Ring
Machela on 99-867315
Writing Workshops
Unleash your creative side with Rhay Christou.
Rhay’s Studio, Old Nicosia. Tel: 99 522333
Italian for Beginners
Lessons offered by the Dante Alighieri Society
and the Italian Embassy. Monday and Wednesday
6.30pm-8pm.Tel: 22-358168/99-339644
Children’s Theatre Workshop
Dionysus Theatre brings kids closer to theatre.
Three different age groups, ranging from 6-18+.
Classes are in Greek. Dionysus Theatre, 29 Diagorou St. Tel: 22-818999/99-621845 or visit www.
music.net.cy/dionysos
Play in a Day
Fun theatre workshops geared towards adults.
Every Thursday 6-8pm. (lessons for youths between 14 and 17 also take place on Wednesday
5pm-7pm). 15 per session or 50 per month. Taught
in Greek and English. For registration Tel: 99130916/99-552654. theatrenicosia@gmail.com
Arts & Moods
Creative workshops for children of all ages. 15
Averoff Street, Strovolos. Tel: 22313142. email: artsandmoods@cytanet.com.cy
Art lessons with Vasilis Mitas
Saturday Group Starts:2pm-4pm. Wednesday
Group Starts: 5pm-7pm. Diachroniki Gallery, 84
Arsinoes. Tel 22-680145. diachroniki@cytanet.
com.cy. www.diachroniki.com
Brocante
Antique and vintage furniture market. Every Sunday 9am-7pm. In front of the old municipal market
in old Nicosia and outside the Akanthos workshop
space. Tel: 22-100984. www.facebook.com/akanthos.furniture
St Paul’s Thrift Shop
Thrift Shop for clothes and bric-a-brac is open
every Saturday morning from 10am- midday in St
Paul’s Cathedral car park. Lots of bargains on offer
at very reasonable prices. Tel : 22-445221
St Paul’s Babies and Toddlers
Non-religious, non-political and multi-national organisation that caters for newborn to pre-school
kids with activities including outdoor and indoor
play equipment and toys. St Paul’s Church Hall,
Byron Avenue. No membership required. babiesandtoddlers.googlepages.com

Cans for Kids Quiz Nights
First Friday of every month. 8.30pm. Esogba,
behind the Junior School. €5. Drinks and home
cooked food available. Tel: 99-666011. www.cansforkids.org
Cyprus Go Association
Meetings every Saturday to learn the game and
improve skills. Oktana Café, 2 Aristidou St. 5pm.
Tel: 99-476253. cyprus@european-go.org, cyprus.
european-go.org
Porcelain Painting
Paint your own dinner set or special gift for your
loved ones. Beginners classes morning and afternoon. Strovolos. Tel: 99-620992
Saint Andrews Bridge Club
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 4pm, Saturday
7pm-10pm; 15 Heroes Avenue. Tel: 22-781063 or
96-510121
Tarot Card Game Lessons
Not lessons in the divination art but rather the
strategy and memory game. Every Wednesday
evening. Brasserie Au Bon Plaisir, 15 Alasias Street.
8pm. Tel 96-755111
The World of Wine
Beginners and advanced specialised courses for
enthusiasts who wish to become more confident
in understanding and enjoying fine wines and
spirits. Tailor-made courses, wine classes and tasting can also be organised on request. Spectus
shops, Nicosia and Limassol. Tel: 22-511521/25341525
Coffee Morning
A warm welcome for all women. Interesting talks
and a chance to get together socially. Second
Thursday of the month. (except July and August).
9.30am St.Paul’s Church Hall, Byron Avenue. In
English. Tel: 22-329293/99-924363
Walking Tours of Nicosia
Mondays: Palouriotissa and Kaimakli: the past restored guided bus and walking tour. Thursdays:
walking tour of Nicosia.. Free. Tel: 22-674264
The Love Bus
Guided tours through the north of Cyprus focussing on the Kyrenia area. Leaving from Eleftheria
Square and locations around Nicosia. €25. Tel: 99761761/97-761761
Bird Watching in Cyprus
Birdlife Cyprus regularly arranges bird watching
trips around the island. Tel: 22-455072, 99-059541.
www.birdlifecyprus.org
Horse Races
Every Wednesday and Sunday at the Nicosia Race
Club. Tel: 22-782727. Subject to change check
website. www.nicosiaraceclub.com.cy

Limassol district
Open Call for Motion Work: Second
International Motion Festival
A call to artists to submit their works for the March
2013 IMF. Deadline for submission: December 31.
For more information visit the festival’s webpage
at: http://www.motionfestivalcyprus.com
First International Christmas Fair
Includes a wide range of events and concerts for
families and children. December 14-Janaury 1.
Christmas Fair, Sea Road, Between McDonalds
and Pascucci Café, Yermasoyia. All day event. Tel:
97-745594
Figure Drawing Classes
Classes are €20 each and includes model and
materials. Atelier K, 8 Georgiou Malekidi (Behind
Rialto Theatre) old town of Limassol. Contact
Raymond at www.raymondwilson.eu or tel 96543901
International Christian Fellowship
East
Please join us, Sundays 10.30am, Angel’s English
Nursery School, 37 Ampelakion, Germasogia. Sunday school available, small groups meet midweek.
Tel: 99-815033. www.icf.org.cy
International Women’s Association of
Limassol
Our aim is to extend the hand of friendship to all
women regardless of race, culture or creed. We
meet on the first Tuesday of the month at St Barnabas Church Hall at 7.30 for 8pm, when we have a
speaker, a raffle and social time. During the month
we have social, cultural and recreational activities.
Tel: 99-768943/99-457617

In just over
an hour…
Paradoxes galore will be
giving audiences something
to talk about this week as
Theatro Dentro take to the
stage while the strangest
of circumstances unfold in
their theatrical world. With
performances at the ARTos
Foundation taking place in
Nicosia during the holiday period, it’s all about ‘65 Minutes’
witnessed around a table
within the confines of a park.
The new production is set to
give audiences an allegorical
view of the double nature
of just about every emotion
that one faces on a daily basis
as both sadness and joy are
embraced.
Exploring the very nature
of life, the actors on stage
will be playing out roles that
showcase the most extreme
emotions and situations that
humans have to deal with.
Working with Angels
Six classes over 12 weeks, each will cover different topics including guardian angels, angel messages, Archangel Michael plus much more. Soap
Shack. 6.30pm-9.30pm. Tel: 97-648218
Baha’is of Limassol
Weekly discussion circle. Tel: 25-340021
Happy Valley Hash House Harriers
Weekly runs on Thursdays around the southwest
of the island, times vary, see www.hvh3.org.uk.
Tel: 99-434794
Amathus Hash House Harriers
Run, jog or walk every Sunday afternoon. For more
info Tel: 99-905746. www.ah3.freeservers.com
Limassol Walks
Get to know the historical centre of Limassol.
Mondays at 10am. Walks begin at the CTO Information Office, 115A Spyros Araouzos St. Free. Tel:
25-362756
Limassol Crusaders Rugby Club
Training on grass for Cyprus League matches, or
just to get fit, Tuesdays 6.30-8.30pm and Thursdays 7-9pm, AEK Katholiki Stadium, Tagmatarchou
Pouliou St. Seniors and Juniors. Tel: 96-323962.
www.limassolcrusadersrfc.com
Table Tennis
Monday and Friday at 10 am at UKCA, 37 Termopilis Street. Contact Antonio 99-334706
Limassol Bridge Club
Mondays and Fridays, 3.30pm at Limassol Sporting Club. Tel 99-645338
Car Boot Sale
Every Saturday and Sunday at Moni Station. Tel:
25-323525/25-365102
Linopetra Corner
Car boot sale on Saturdays, 8am-2pm. Tel: 99612832
Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes
Social and benevolent organisation. Aphrodite Bitter Lake Lodge meet at the UKCA Club.
Wednesdays, 6pm. Tel: 99-425527. The Troodos
Pride of Cyprus Lodge meets at the UKCA Club.
Every other Sunday, 10am. Tel: 99-345384
Riding for the Disabled
Horse riding for disabled riders from The Red
Cross and Theotokos Foundation every Thursday
morning 8.30am-11.30am. Happy Valley, Episkopi.
Volunteers greatly needed to assist with rides. Tel:
25-773058. Email: rdaroster@gmail.com
RAFA Aphrodite Branch Social
Meeting
First Wednesday of every month. Sergeants Mess.
Akrotiri. No food provided. 7.30pm. Tel: 25-932196
RAF Akrotiri Voluntary Band
The band plays a large repertoire of classical music
at military dinners, Episkopi Fete and charity fund
raisers. Meetings every Monday: 7.30pm. Padre’s
Centre at RAF Akrotiri. Tel: 99-925524
The Royal Military Police Association
The Cyprus branch seeks new members. First
Friday of every month. The RMP Corporals Mess,
WSBA Episkopi. 2pm. Tel: 26-642120/99-453867
Cyprus Donkey Sanctuary
Visitor centre with shop, refreshments, hillside
walk and picnic area. Friends of the Cyprus Donkey, Vouni. Daily 10am-4pm. Tel: 25-945488
Ocean Bar Restaurant
Every Thursday: Bingo Night, 8pm. Tel: 96-381509.
Every Friday: Multi Media Quiz with many prizes
to be won, 8.30pm. Tel: 99-032876. Ocean Bar
Restaurant, 10 Christina Court, Onicilliou St, Ayios
Tychonas

From the most magical to
the most miserable of life’s circumstances, their critical eye
looks for deeper meanings
beyond the obvious while an
exploration of the essence
of existence itself unfolds on
the stage. It’s worth noting
that the material in the play
is based on a series of stories
by Demetris Fyriou who recently published his first book
entitled The Paradox Story of
White and Black.
65 Minutes
A performance by the Theatro
Dentro within the framework
of the 4th X-Dream Festival
December 27-30 and
January 3-5. 9pm. (Additional
performance on January 5
at 10.30pm). In Greek. Tel:
99-384606

Paphos district
Open Call for Motion Work: Second
International Motion Festival
A call to artists to submit their works for the March
2013 IMF. Deadline for submission: December 31.
For more information visit the festival’s webpage
at: http://www.motionfestivalcyprus.com
Art Sale
An art sale of local artists work during the months
of December & January 2013. All art work greatly
reduced. The Terebinth Tree Bistro, Mesa Chorio.
Tel: 26-654626
Crafty Herbies
Arts and Crafts for children aged 3-12 at the Herb
Garden in Pano Akourdaleia. 10.30am-12.30 midday every other Wednesday. €6 per child (with discounts for siblings). Join us in the garden planting,
painting and making. Tel: 99-993412/99-006012
for more information or bookings (essential)
Guided Meditation
Weekly Gatherings for the purpose of stilling the
mind, balancing & healing the soul and uplifting
the emotions. Every Wednesday morning 10am
- 11am & Wednesday evening 7pm - 8pm held in
Stroumbi. For full details www.yvebrooks.org or
Tel 97-801472
Spiritualist Meetings.
Monthly ‘Modern Spiritualists in Cyprus’ meetings
are held on the last Sunday of the month in Stroumbi. 7pm start. For full details www.yvebrooks.
org or Tel 97-801472
Morning Cooking Workshops
Tuesday Morning Cooking Workshops at Kasparis
Restaurant on the Tombs of the Kings Road (opp.
Helios Bay Hotel) with Zoe and Elena (Orexi Catering). Cypriot, Italian, Lebanese and Greek cuisine.
Be an active participant or watch closely while we
prepare everything from scratch using fresh ingredients that have been either grown or caught
by the cooks! €30 per person including coffee,
snacks, lunch and a glass of wine. From 9am-2pm.
Tel: 99-887293 or email : elena@orexicyprus.com
Paphos Flower Club
Courses in flower arranging. Anglican Church Hall,
Kato Paphos. Beginners 2pm, intermediate classes
12.30pm. Beginners. Tel: 99-475564/99-533704.
Intermediate: 99-744635
Orphean Singers
Three times a year this well established singing
group delights audiences with an entertaining
concert. Meetings every Friday at Kamaras club,
9.30am-12pm. Tel: 26-913249
Paphos Light Music Society
A new group starting up in Paphos for the appreciation of light opera, Gilbert and Sullivan
etc. Non-singers also welcome. Meetings every
fourth Monday at 3.00pm in Paphos area. Tel: 26723002/ 99-370883

Celebrating local musicians
The Pantheon Cultural Association in Nicosia
is calling upon all music loving crowds to unite
in celebration of home grown music as Sonic
Arts is soon to become the talk of the town. In
a party to celebrate the release of the ‘Sonic
Arts 6.0 Cyprus’, the album features compositions by local musicians intent on stirring the
waters. Curated by composer and sound artist
Antonis Antoniou, the event will include live
performances given by the artists in question,

topped of by
sound installations, video art
projections and
plenty more to tantalise the senses.
Sonic Arts 6.0 Cyprus
A celebration of the launch of the Sonic Arts
6.0 Cyprus’ album featuring compositions by
Cypriot sonic artists. December 28. 9pm. Free.
Email: info@pantheonculture.org

MUSIC

Baby Antidote
Brings the young tots up to 3yrs in touch with
theatre, by combining storytelling, fairytales and
play. Through interactive performances inspired
by favourite children’s books, the heroes come
to life as the little ones embody them in their own
unique way. Apothikes st. Lazarus. Every Monday
and Friday, 9.30-11.30am. Entrance is €4 per family,
and includes refreshments and snacks.
Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalos
Social and benevolent organisation supporting
charitable groups. The James Mercury Lodge
meets at Dhekelia Barracks. Every Tuesday,
7.30pm. Next to ‘George’s Taxi’ on the South Road.
Tel: 24-635812
RAFA Larnaca Bay Branch
Social gathering taking place on second Tuesday
of each month. Beachcomber Restaurant, Makenzie Beach . 7pm. Tel: 24-363752. www.rafacyprus.
co.uk/larnaca
Writing Group
Creative writing group meets bi-weekly in Larnaca, Episkopi and possibly Paralimni. Every participant will have work published online and in
a print anthology. New and established writers
welcome. €15 per meeting. Tel: 99-046237. www.
writingcyprus.com
Writers’ Workshop
Unleash the writer within. Classes for all ages with
writing coaching also available. Classes in Larnaca.
Tel: 99-522333. rchristou@cytanet.com.cy
Larnaca Writers’ Group
Established, friendly and informal group; who
love to write. Meetings are a mixture of writing
news, workshop exercises and ongoing projects.
Welcomes new members and are looking for writers of poetry and prose, at all levels of experience.
Every alternate Saturday Oroklini village. 11am.
Tel: 99-321927. larnaca.writers82@gmail.com
Larnaca Reading Group
If you enjoy reading and debating the pros and
cons of a book, you are welcome to join, the group
endeavours to read a diverse selection of books.
Larnaca Reading Group (LRG) meets the first Monday of each month in the Reading Lounge, upstairs
in the Academic & General Bookshop, address: 41
Hermes Street. Tel: 99-597094/99-925315
Cash Bingo
Eyes down every Wednesday, 8.30pm, and Sunday, 8.30pm, Makedonas restaurant, Dhekelia
road. Food and drinks available at venues. Tel: 99108391
Line Dancing
Every Friday, 8pm. Makedonas restauraunt, Dhekelia road. Tel: 99-108391
Tango Argentine Classes
Regular Tango with Julia Gorina and guest maestros. With Jonatan Foehlich from Buenos Aires
this September. Hallmark Dance Studio, Mefanos
str.10 (from Germasogia roundabout going into
the city – at the second traffic lights turn left –
the school is immediately on the left next to the
hairdressing studio Effectis by Nicolas). Tuesdays
& Thursdays: 7.30pm-8.30pm – beginners and
8.30pm-10pm – advanced: Tel: 99-406032 or
info@tangocyprus.net
TANGO-y-TU presents
Eight week foundation course every Friday. Deborah’s School of Russian Ballet, 192 Faneromenis
Avenue. 7.30-9pm - €15 per class or €50 for 4 prepaid. Improvers/Intermediate Class every Monday. 8-10pm - €15 per class or €50 for 4 prepaid.
Free tango practica at Cafe da Vinci, St Lazarus
Square. www.tango-tu.com - Tues nights 8.30pm.
Tel: 99-377102. www.tango-y-tu.com
Royal Engineers’ Association
Meets on second Tuesday of the month at venues
around the Island. For details of next meeting contact Bob Beer (Chair) on 97-633728
Larnaca Chicago Bridge Club
Thursdays, 9.30am-1pm. Tel: Pete on 24-424899
Larnaca Walking Tours
Wednesdays: Larnaca Past and Present, 10am
from CTO office in Vassileos Pavlou Square. Fridays: Skala and its Craftsmen, 10am from Larnaca
Fort. Tel: 24-654322
Leon Friendly Darts League
Meetings carried out at selected pubs: Tuesdays,
8.30pm. Tel: Bob Johnson on 24-427275
Mazotos Camel Park
Adventures for the family. Camel rides, swimming,
play areas and more. Tel: 24-991243/99-416968.
www.camel-park.com

THEATRE

Paphos Town Centre Walking Tour
Get acquainted with the newest part of the city
and learn how the town evolved from the late
Byzantine and Mediaeval times. Every Thursday,
10am. CTO Information Office, 3 Gladstonos St.
Tel. 26-932841
The Corona Society
Go along and meet new friends at monthly
meetings held every second Wednesday of
the month, 2.30pm – 4pm. Coffee mornings
held every last Tuesday of the month, 10.30am
– 12.00pm. Annabelle Hotel. All proceeds go to
local charities. Tel: 99- 177479
Scottish Country Dancing
With the St Andrew’s Society, Paphos, at the
Latin Parish Hall every Tuesday evening from
September to May 6-8pm. Beginners welcome
5.30pm. Tel: 99-298512
Adult Tap Dance
Tuesdays 6.30pm–7.15pm and Wednesdays
9.00am- 9.45am. Also stretch and tone intensive
class, Mondays 9.00am–10.00am. With professional instructors. Shogun Karate/Dance studio,
133 Nicolaou Elina, Emba. Tel: 99-892478
Jazzercise
Dance fitness routines choreographed to
the latest music. Mesogi Community Centre.
Wednesday and Friday 9am-10am and Monday
and Thursday 6.15pm-7.15pm. Classes also held
at Shogun Karate Club, Emba. Tuesday and Friday: 9am-10am, in Peyia School, Tuesday and
Thursday: 6.15pm-7.15pm. €8 per class or €47 per
month. Tel: 99-990348
Salsacise
Get fit and fabulous while having fun. The
class combines basic salsa moves in an aerobic
workout. Burn calories and lose weight. Beginners welcome. Every Wednesdays 6-7 pm
in B.M.S.Studio, Peyia (above Spirou). Every
Tuesdays 11-12 am at Crowns Resorts Spa and
every Fridays 4-5 pm at Crowns Resorts Spa. Tel:
99981294
Hand-made bijoux displays
Beautiful hand-made jewellery for the perfect
gift at affordable prices starting from €10-35,
including elegant packaging. Every Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 10am - 12pm.
Please call Niki on 99-858734
Timi Village Car Boot Market
Every Sunday 7am-1pm all through the year. Tel:
99-611637
Evans Plus Evans
Comedy Magic Show, at the New Kikkos
Bar Coral Bay - Alternate Tuesdays. 9.30pm. Tel
99-173801
Singles Nights at Ollie’s Bar
Every second and fourth Saturday of the month.
Ollie’s Bar, Trimithousa. 8pm. Tel: 99-769899
Quiz Nights
Play for weekly prizes and a jackpot. Every Friday.
Kings Hotel, Tomb of the Kings Road. 8.30pm.
€2. Tel: 26-939075
Quiz night
Quiz at the New Olympus Hotel. Every second
Thursday of the month. 7.30pm. To register your
team call: 26-932020
New Friendly Bridge
Chicago bridge every Tuesday with all bridge
partnerships welcome. Fantasia Club. 6.45pm.
Tel: 26-937551
Table Tennis Club Night
Coaching for all levels by Gordon Allen. Every
Wednesday night. New venue, 7pm. Tel: 99841471, 26-652763
Badminton Club
Atromitos Badminton Club for children and
adults meets four times a week, days and evenings, to suit all levels, coaching available or
play just for fun. Tel: 99-971150/99-519504.badmintonpaphos@cytanet.com.cy www.atromitosbadmintonclub.org
Emba Badminton club
Emba Badminton club meets on Saturday mornings, and Tuesday and Friday afternoons. All levels of play are catered for. Tel: 99-276192. www.
EmbaBadmintonClub.org.
Paphos Tigers RFC
Mini Rugby: Tuesdays, 4.30pm-5.30pm. Kinyras
Centre, Cypria Maris Sports Ground. Tel: 99934315/26-652959. barrie@cytanet.com.cy
Paphos Cycling Club
Newly founded to help promote cycling in
Paphos as a great form of exercise, meeting
and making new friends and a perfect way to
see areas of beauty in Cyprus you would never
normally see. We are an informal club and we
welcome new members from all walks of life
and abilities. We meet every Sunday at Hectors
Barin Coral Bay at 9am. Tel: 99-320213. www.paphoscyclingclub.com
Paphos Adonis Lions Club
Meetings every second and fourth Monday of
the month at Paphos Gardens Hotel Resort. New
members welcome as well as visiting members
of other Lions Clubs. Tel: 26-622810/97-635883
Alzheimer Self-Help Group
Offers dementia sufferers and their carers the
opportunity to meet others with this condition,
share feelings and exchange experiences. Every
first Wednesday of the month. Crazy Spoon Centre Coral Bay Road, opposite Paphian Sun Hotel,
Kissonerga. 10am. Tel: 26-621530/ 26-622234
Cancer Patients’ Support Group
Association’s Day Centre - 84 Ellados Avenue,
Paphos, near Carrefour’s on Polis Road. Tel: 26952478. Coffee morning on the second Tuesday
of the month, 10.30am. Craft group meet every
Thursday, 10am-12pm. New members always
welcome. Quiz nights and meal on Thursdays
and meal, 7 for 7.30pm. Tel: 26-654007 or visit
www.cancerpatientssupport.net
Cancer Patients’ Support Group – Paphos
Information Help Line
Trained volunteers who will listen and assist
anyone needing information, emotional support, befriending or referral to an appropriate
professional. Available from 9am-1pm Monday
to Friday. Tel: 97-760989

Paphos Bereavement Support Group
If you’ve suffered a loss or death, either recently or
in the past, you are welcome to share your feelings
with others in a safe and confidential environment.
Group meets on the first Monday of each month,
2pm-4pm. Association’s Day Centre, 9 Dimitriou
Mavrogenous, (the road alongside Constantinides
Bakery opposite CYTA). Tel: 26-952478
Gamblers Anonymous
Support group for gambling addicts, partners
and families. Meetings every Tuesday. Ayia Kyriaki
Anglican Church Hall, Kato Paphos. 7.30pm. Tel:
26-622289
Self-Improvement and Fulfilment
Dr. Eva Bratslavsky clinical psychologist and psychotherapist weekly discussion group meetings
on self-confidence, self-esteem, relationship enhancement, assertiveness. 3pm. Tel: 99-495467
Hemi-Sync sound technology of The
Monroe Institute
Metamusic CDs for quantum learning, deep relaxation, meditation, workshops. Contact Linda
Leblanc, accredited Outreach Trainer of The Monroe Institute. Tel: 26-621272/ psygnos@spidernet.
com.cy
Krhem Workshops
Learn to use this powerful yet gentle, loving energy healing system evolved from Ancient Egypt.
Three day course in a warm, friendly environment.
Krhem is not a level of Reiki and it is not necessary to have trained in Reiki first. Reiki workshops
also available. Also: EFT Level 1 workshops: Learn
a most effective self help and self development
technique. EFT will enhance health and wellbeing
for you, friends and family. A one day workshop
taught in a fun, friendly environment. You will become more confident and gain a brighter, happier
outlook on life. Tel: 26-934319/99-479426. lfirth@
cytanet.com.cy. www.hypno-krhem.co.uk
Reiki Training
Philip Westwood, Reiki Master/Teacher is now taking bookings for Reiki 1 & Reiki 2 training courses.
Tel: 99-407526 or philipreiki@cytanet.com.cy
Pilates Classes
Small group classes morning and evening. Kissonerga, Yeroskipou and Skoulli, Polis. Tel: 99-172504.
purepilates@cytanet.com.cy
Pilates
Mat based exercises for all levels, to tone and
stretch the whole body. Tuesdays: 7.45-9pm in
Central Paphos old town. €10. Tel: 99-266783 or
georginacrowther@hotmail.com
Seeing Anew: The Artist’s Eye
Ongoing workshop in visual art, breaking through
inhibitions, developing confidence and fostering
creative process. Studio 7, Kallepia. €80. Tel: 99048367
Yoga
Pure traditional yoga. Caroline has over thirty
years experience, and is trained in the Iyengar
method of hatha yoga. In her fully equipped studio she instructs both small groups and individual
students. Tel: 99-834470
Polis Charity Bookshop, Crafts and More
Now open six days a week. Monday- Saturday,
10am- 1pm. Large stock of books, videos, talking
books, jigsaws and greeting cards. Proceeds donated to local charities. Goods in first rate condition always needed. Arch. Makarios Avenue, Polis
Chrysochous. Tel: 99-867511
Art Courses
Pencil drawing, watercolour, pastels and acrylic.
Ring Caroline Ludwig 26967008.
Mums ‘n’ Toddlers Group
Mums, Tots & Babies - Join us for a fun filled morning of Music & Movement, Story time, Arts & Crafts,
Free Play, snack & coffee time etc. Spacious garden
at our new location in Chloraka. Five groups per
week offered. Also ongoing sale of nearly new
clothing (1Euro per item) raising funds for local
charities. Tel: 99-867662.
First Time Mums’ Club
Come and join us for a cup of tea. Bring baby with
you and meet other mums and get tips, ideas
and advice on caring for your little infant. Weekly
meetings where topics include breastfeeding,
bottle feeding, sleeping tips for baby and mom,
milestones, what works and lots more. Thurs 1012. Cholorakas. Tel: 96-429659
Apollo Branch of the Royal Air Forces
Association
Meeting on the third Thursday of every month.
UKCA Clubhouse, Tombs of the Kings Road. 7pm.
Tel: 26-991615
New PAWS charity shop
Yeroskipou next door to Pet Stop. Open Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 9am-5pm. Saturday
9am-4pm. Tel: 97695857
Basic Dog Training and Grooming
Fridays. 3pm. Kallepia. Tel: 26-643079/99-105557

Don’t mock the
meggings
U
Under shorts meggings
are a not-so-obvious
look favoured by several
celebrities

nless you venture into Central St Martins or a rehearsal
at the English National Ballet, you won’t often see a man
wearing leggings as part of his
d
daily ensemble. They are, admittedly, occ
casionally seen on red-faced young profess
sionals wheezing home on bikes, but most
o
of us prefer to wear them in the conﬁ nes
o
of a gym or secretly layered under trousers
iin winter where they are wholly justiﬁed as
““thermals”.
But male leggings, or “meggings” as
tthey’ve been branded, are America’s latest
ffashion export after being thrown into the
s
spotlight by sartorially adventurous celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz and Justin
Bieber. BOY London’s version sold out on

BOY London’s version sold out on Asos
in every size between XS and XXL suggesting that the megging may well be
replacing the ever-shrinking skinny jean
A
Asos in every size between XS and XXL s
suggesting that the megging may well be
rreplacing the ever-shrinking skinny jean.
Yet, while many men will probably be a
llittle bewildered by these new form-ﬁtting
a
arrivals, the megging has made appeara
ances since 2007 in menswear shows by
M
Marni, Alexander McQueen, Martin Marg
giela (a sequined black pair) and Calvin
K
Klein Collection, where they functioned as
a more casual alternative to the trouser.
More recently for autumn 2012,
G
Givenchy’s creative director Riccardo Tisc
ci fused monochromatic military tailoring
w
with modern sportswear, sending models
d
down a catwalk wearing leggings with
s
structured shorts and kilts, tough leather
b
boots and boxy jackets that gave outﬁts a
h
harder military edge and proved more succ
cessful with the fashion scene.
But is it only the young, conﬁdent, athl
letic
man who can pull off the look I wond
dered
as I ventured out into conservative
K
Kensington
in two Givenchy inspired out-

30 great things under 30
Fashion designer Carly
Cushnie, actress Kate McKinnon and videogame creator Kim Swift may not be
household names yet, but
they are destined to do great
things and will be tomorrow’s young stars, Forbes
magazine said this week.
Along with Olympic
Gold medalist gymnast
Gabby Douglas, rapper Wiz
Khalifa and researcher Josh
Sommer, they have been
chosen by the magazine for
its 30 Under 30 list of top
achievers under 30 years old
in their ﬁelds.
“This is a celebration

of youthful ambition and
success. These are really
amazing people and they
are doing amazing things.
It makes you very hopeful
about the world,” Michael
Noer, the executive editor
of Forbes, said in an interview.
Many on the list, including singers Bruno Mars and
Justin Bieber, as well as
actresses Ashley and May
Kate Olsen and fashion designer Alexander Wang, the
newly appointed creative
director at the French fashion house Balenciaga, are
already well known.

December 23, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

ﬁts - which,
i n c i d e n t a l l y,
are vastly removed from what I usually wear
– my skinny legs exposed, not knowing what
the reaction might be.
In minus degrees Celsius, my thermal leggings didn’t provide much comfort or warmth
at all. My ﬁ rst outﬁt was worn without shorts
(Russell Brand and Noel Fielding’s adaptation
of this trend) and I felt vulnerable knowing
that the tight-ﬁtting burgundy Lycra probably didn’t leave much to the imagination.
Worn in this way the megging is pretty
impractical and wasn’t exactly the liberating experience I’d heard it was. However, the
meggings did look better under shorts and
gave an extra edge, not to mention a warming
layer, to an already punky outﬁt. As with the
ﬁ rst pair, they turned a few heads and raised
an eyebrow or two, but this time people were
looking interested rather than amused.
I’m still unsure whether I’d own a pair, but
at least I know men’s e-commerce sites are
stocking them if I am ever converted.

Gird your loins, lads: the
hottest new style item
for you this season is a
pair of men’s leggings.
ANISH PATEL slips into
something more revealing
The layered look:
meggings with a
sporty twist on the
Givenchy catwalk

22 BEAUTY

Hungover?
Then you need
morning-after
make-up
Festive partying stolen your glow?
Here’s how to outshine your mates
and work colleagues says EMMA
MCCARTHY
Take it easy
7am. The morning after the night
before. Best not to think too hard. Instead, fumble around for your Korres
Party Survival Kit (oliverbonas.com)
for gentle, step-by-step recharging
that even the sorest heads can cope
with. It contains everything from
shower gel to brightening eye cream
- and even lemon-ﬂavoured chewing
gum.

Mask the truth
Substitute your cleans-z
er for a slathering of Liz
tEarle’s Brightening Treat).
ment Mask (lizearle.com).
tBrimming with stimulatg
ing camphor oil and toning
y
witch hazel, the real beauty
s
of this mask is that it works
or
in just 30 seconds. Or, for
s,
truly desperate measures,
’s
you need Chantecaille’s
Biodynamic Lifting Mask
(spacenk.com), which will smooth,
hydrate and calm redness while you
have a 15-minute nap.

Seeing spots
One solid month of drinking can
only equal one thing - breakouts. Eve

Lom understands and has
given us Dynaspot. Containing tea tree, salicylic acid and
zinc oxide, this topical treate
ment will make you feel like
less of a teenager than an old-school Witch Stick.

Freshen up
When you’re feeling a bitt
g
on the stale side, achieving
a fresh-faced look is some-thing of a tall order. Conceall
n
a green-tinged complexion
a
by smoothing on a layer of La
Prairie Cellular Treatmentt
Liquid Soft Glow (harrods.
com) - an air light, silky soft formula
designed to brighten, highlight and
blur any imperfections - and follow
with Natio’s Clever Stick (debenhams.com), a mineral foundation
that’s quick to apply and lets your
skin breathe. A light dusting of Clarins’ new translucent Mineral Loose
Powder (clarins.co.uk) will help stop

the boo
booze from seeping out of your
pores w
without making you look
like you’ve
you
trowelled on a load of
slap.

Bushy-tailed
BushyAvoid eyeshadow or liner:
Av
aft
after a late-night, earlymo
morning combo, your
ey are dark enough. Ineyes
st
stead, stick with a good
ol
old-fashioned conceale
er - Stila’s Brighten &
C
Correct concealer (stila
la.co.uk) is among the
b
best - and appear far
more wide-eyed than
you feel, with the help of Origins
Brightening Mascara (origins.
co.uk).

for fear of looking like you haven’t removed last night’s make-up. Instead
opt for a juicy, raspberry hue - both
MAC’s Tinted Lip Conditioner in
Fuchsia Fix (maccosmetics.co.uk)
and Clinique’s Chubby Stick in
Plushest Punch (clinique.co.uk)
will also quench the thirst of
dehydrated lips.

Keep calm and carry on
Feeling a little queasy midshift? A generous spritz of
Skyn Iceland Arctic Face Mist
(marksandspencer.com) is the
closest you’ll come to dunking
your head in a vat of cold water
(while preserving your makeup and getting a dose of added
multivitamins), while a dab of
Aveda’s peppermint and blue
chamomile-scented Blue Oil
Balancing Concentrate (aveda.co.uk) on your temples and
pulse points will help to keep
things in perspective.

Rehydrate
It’s simple logic: no one could
possibly be hungover if they’ve
bothered to put on lipstick. But
steer well clear of matte ﬁ nishes

Estee Lauder sees luxury, men key to re-igniting fragrance sales
By Phil Wahba
Estee Lauder is counting on a new
fragrance from luxury Italian
fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna
to help it tap into the industry’s
most promising markets - the very
high-end and men.
Sales at Estee Lauder’s fragrance business - about one-eighth
of overall revenue - are still below
pre-recession levels and were ﬂat
in the quarter ended September
30 excluding the impact of currency. That compares with growth of
seven per cent and six per cent for
skin care products and makeup,
its two biggest divisions, over the
same period.
So the company is looking to
win market share in the so-called

“prestige” market for fragrances
- such as those made by French
luxury group LVMH and L’Oreal
- that are sold at department and
specialty stores instead of drug
stores and discount chains.
“Having a strong foothold in
the most stable category is for
us essential,” Veronique GabaiPinksy, a global brand president
at Estee Lauder who oversees designer fragrances, said.
Designer fragrances account
for two-thirds of industry sales
and sell more reliably than those
tied to celebrities. And the very
high end fragrances make up only
about seven per cent of industry
sales, but Gabai-Pinsky called
them “a pocket of high growth.”

The Zegna fragrance Essenze
retails for $195 for a 4.2 ﬂuidounce bottle and follows an agreement last year with designer Tory
Burch for a fragrance being introduced in 2013. Estee Lauder’s
new women’s fragrance, for Italy’s
Marni, will be introduced in the
spring of 2013.
It is also a coup for Lauder,
which replaces market leader
L’Oreal as Zegna’s fragrance partner with this deal.
Estee Lauder, which only
makes “prestige” fragrances, produces some of the best selling fragrances and its partners include
Coach Inc, Michael Kors Holdings
Ltd and Tom Ford.
With Zegna, which caters to

males only, Estee Lauder is making a forceful play for men in the
pure luxury fragrance market,
where growth is outpacing women’s.
“There is deﬁnitely a lot more
opportunity on the men’s side,”
NPD Group analyst Karen Grant
said.
The popularity of Zegna as a
premium Western fashion brand
among China’s rising middle class
can also help stoke interest in fragrances in a market where shoppers are still far more interested
in makeup and skin products.
For Zegna, this fragrance
could be followed by others.
“I see a good expansion of the
line,” said CEO Gildo Zegna.

SUNDAY MAIL• December 23, 2012

HEALTH 23

To stay fit during
holidays bend, don’t
break routine say experts

S

ticking to a ﬁtness routine is
not always easy, but holiday
feasting, drinking and family can make it even harder.
‘Tis the season, experts
say, to bend your ﬁtness routine so it
does not break.
“Consider the holidays a time to
maintain ﬁtness, not a time to set new
goals or be ambitious,” said ﬁtness expert Shirley Archer, author of Fitness
9 to 5 and Weight Training for Dummies.
The average American gains
0.45kg each year during the holiday
season, Archer said, but it’s a fate you
can avoid by being active when time
allows.
“Research tells us that you can get
an effective strength training routine
in as little as 15 minutes,” she said.
“This is not ideal to build strength over
time, but is sufﬁcient to keep what you
have during the holidays.”
A bare-bones cardio workout can
be accomplished by ﬁtting short, 10minute bouts of activity into your holiday plans.
Danielle
Hopkins,
group ﬁtness manager and instructor at
an Equinox ﬁtness
centre in New
York City, tells
her concerned
clients to try
to
sweat
at least 20
minutes a
day.

Maintenance: Shirley Archer

December 23, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

BY ALEXANDER MCCOWAN

Food of the dragons has
little use for modern
herbalists
Name: Chinese Peony (Paeonia officinalis)
Otherwise known as: Bar-cher
Habitat: A herbaceous perennial of the Paeoniaceae
family growing up to 60cm in shrubberies and meadows in Tibet and China. It has deep green, ovate to
lanceolate leaves on stout, fleshy stems that terminate
in spectacular cream, pink or port-wine coloured flowers that sometimes have a double form. The fruit is a
capsule with shiny black seeds. All parts of the plant
are poisonous.

Giving in to a feast once
a year will not affect
your annual programme
DORENE INTERNICOLA
is told
“I stress the importance of keeping
to your routine. The main thing is putting it on your calendar,” said Hopkins,
who said drinking too much makes it
harder to make it to the gym.
“Always make room. It’s pretty
easy to do. If you’re travelling, bring
your running shoes, or a jump rope, or
look for a gym.”
And rest assured that one night of
over-indulgence won’t derail a year of
work.
“Everyone’s diet has a bit of wiggle
room,” she said. “I think it’s good to
imbibe a little, but be strategic about
what you’ll allow. Have a little bit.”
Constantly avoiding holiday temptation is tiring and in the end unsustainable, according to Gregory Chertok, a sports psychologist with the
American College of Sports Medicine.
When navigating holiday
stresses, from family to poor
food choices, Chertok, who
is based in New Jersey, said
a simple change in attitude can yield powerful
results.
“Embrace
challenge rather than avoid
temptation,” he said.
“Avoidance over time
can be pretty exhausting. Just like our physical muscles, our mental
muscles can get exhausted. Will power
requires replenishment.”
He said

Plantoftheweek

What does it do: The plant derives its name from
Paeon, the physician to the Greek gods, and was considered to be of divine origin.
In medieval England it was much vaunted as a cure
for epilepsy, chorea, hysteria, asthma, gout, kidney
infections, any number of nervous disorders, and as

studies show when people try too feverishly to control themselves, their
will power wanes.
“There are ways to keep your will
power at a strong level, such as staying away from overly restrictive diets,
planning the occasional indulgence
and eating small frequent meals,” he
added.
Surrounding oneself with people
of similar health and wellness inclinations can also facilitate positive choices.
“We’re inﬂuenced very powerfully
by others’ behaviour,” Chertok said.
He encourages his clients to allow for the occasional slip-up. Being
self-forgiving and self-compassionate
leads to greater success.
“People who set strict goals will
self-chastise, self-criticise,” he said.
“That doesn’t allow for high performance or self esteem. As human beings, we take care of ourselves when
we feel worthy of self care.”
Trainer Tracy Anderson, whose
ﬁtness DVDs include Metamorphosis
and Mini-Trampoline Workout stresses consistency.
“The most important thing is to
become a consistent exerciser, where
you go and have 30 minutes to one
hour daily of focused work,” she said.
“That is the number one best thing we
can be doing.”
But her advice for people fretting
about the holiday season is to feed
your soul.
“One time a year is not toxic; in
fact, it is the opposite,” she said from
her New York home.
“It feeds your soul so much that it
helps your stress. I say eliminate the
word diet from your vocabulary for
three days before and after a holiday.”
Archer echoes the sentiment and
suggests enjoying the pleasures of the
seasons.
“All too soon, your routine will return and you can hit your ﬁtness programme with renewed commitment
and enthusiasm,” she added.

an abortifacient. Culpeper recommends it as a ‘…sure
and certain treatment for the falling down sickness
(epilepsy) by hanging the root around the necks of the
afflicted children’.
There are many superstitions attached to Peonies, not
the least being that the Japanese believed that the
flowers were the ‘food of the dragons’, and to guard
against attacks, necklaces were made from the seeds;
the warrior classes ate the flowers as a vegetable. In
14th century Europe, the seeds were used as a culinary
spice that was supposed to increase sexual potency
and were infused in mead to be consumed before
sleeping to ward off nightmares.
Peony is rarely used by herbalists today, but homeopaths still make tinctures from the flowers to give relief
from haemorrhoids.
Chinese medicine still values the plant as a treatment
for mental disorders, hypotension, eczema and depression.
Next dangerous plant……. Knotweed.

mac123@cytanet.com.cy

24 BOOKS

A magical world of
rabbits, hedgehogs,
flying horses and
the Moomins
The Moomins

Rock ’n’ roll in the
classics thrown in

For younger
children

FOR MUSIC LOVERS

By Charlotte Ross

e have Bob Dylan to
thank. If the nasal
Minnesotan had never
recorded a note, it is
nately for fans of Hot Legs, the pilot
fairly unlikely that
had attended an emergency course
subsequent rock lyricists would have
the day before and crash-landed
hts higher than LitLit
Kind of sums up my life,
raised their sights
safely. “Kind
Awopbopalooboptle Richard’s “Awopbopaloobopreally,” winks Rod. “An awful
alopbaboom”. Likewise, if he
lot of the way, it’s bee
been a
own to write
had never sat down
long, luxury aircraft ride.
occasionally the
Chronicles, an account of his
But just occasionally,
goo
life as shifting and strange as
plane ﬂ ies into a goose.
And
ishers would
his songs, publishers
somehow, every time it does,
mmissioned Neil
never have commissioned
I get lucky and live to tell the
Young or Pete Townshend or
tale.”
o pen their stories.
re
Rod Stewart to
2) Try to retain
nce the
However, since
some sense of probout
S
books by and about
portion. Stewart
ck
p
babyboomer rock
- or the publegends are all
lishing entity
ght
know as
identical in weight
known
“Ro Stewand size, short of
“Rod
ar to
playing Jenga
art”,
g
with them the
give
his
“
most useful
“editor”
G
thing might be
Giles
S
to mulch their
Smith
hi due wisdom into a
his
see
“how-to” guide
seems
fully
awa of
for anyone hop-aware
eir
pl
ing to follow their
his place
in
sch
example.
the scheme
of
h an
1) Begin with
things, which
cdote that
is why his
h
illustrative anecdote
he whole
book o
encapsulates the
offers
ntertainmost tto the
career. In the entertainutobinon-fa
ing Rod: The Autobinon-fan. The
most memom
ography, Rod Stewart
his with
rable moaccomplishes this
characteristic charm,
ment arrives
when he
describing the night
and Ronnie
that he tried to make
y from a
Woo
a quick getaway
Wood visit
henburg
a sc
concert in Gothenburg
sculptor
ng goose
who speonly for a passing
n the
cial
to get caught in
cialises in
Do ya think I’m
ivate jet
cast
engine of his private
casting the
sexy? Rod Stewart
pha
just as he was about to
phalluses of
in typically
ass of
rock stars.
enjoy a “cold glass
flirtatious mood
rtu“Wo
white wine”. Fortu“Woody

Whatever myriad delights
my daughter unwraps this
Christmas, it will be the
books she treasures most.
Knowing this is comforting; not only are they are
an affordable treat but,
with very little children, the
right stories really do keep
on giving. I hope she will
still be curled up in March
with her supply of December books. Here are some
volumes she loves, and a
few she might discover on
Christmas morning.
Pip and Posy, The Snowy
Day, Axel Schefﬂer
Julia Donaldson tends to
get most of the credit for
the Gruffalo. This seems
unfair because I’m sure it is
Axel Schefﬂer’s deceptively naïve illustration that
truly wins most children’s
hearts. In 2012, Schefﬂer
expanded his simple but
beautifully wrought series
of Pip and Posy books,
most recently with The
Snowy Day. It tells the tale
of an argument between
the two over whether they
are building a snowmouse
(like Posy) or a snowrabbit
(Pip). A tearful snowﬁght
ensues, followed by a joyful
playdough entente. Sweet,
bright and true to a toddler’s life.
A Little Bit Of Winter,
Paul Stewart and Chris
Riddell
More snow ﬁgures in this
re-issue of a clever animal
fable. In an attempt to
save his grumpy hedgehog
friend a little bit of winter
for when he awakes from
hibernation, a rather dim
rabbit wraps a giant snowball in leaves and stuffs it
into his warren to await
spring. Endearingly drawn
and sharply observed.
Clara Button and the
Magical Hat Day
Published by the Victoria
& Albert museum, this
wonderf ul

W

book tells what happens
to budding milliner Clara
when she visits the V&A
in search of help to mend
her grandmother’s hat. It’s
both a good London tale
and a lovely way to pay
homage to one of the UK’s
great institutions.
Rosie’s Magic Horse,
by Russell Hoban and
Quentin Blake
This collaboration between
a late, great storyteller
(Hoban died last December) and a living legend of
children’s illustration is
inspired. The story is of a
ﬂying horse, Stickerino,
conjured up by Rosie from
a box of ice lolly sticks,
which gallops through the
sky above cities and deserts and into an altercation
with some pirates. There is
a happy ending involving a
casket of gold that allows
Rosie’s family to pay the
bills in hard times. It’s a
sentiment that many families will appreciate this
Christmas.
The Moomins and the
Great Flood, by Tove
Jansson
Because children’s books
are for adults too, parents
should treat themselves to
the luminous drawings and
evocative prose of Tove
Jansson’s ﬁ rst Moomin
book. The story of young
Moomintroll searching for
his lost father is dark and
thrilling yet full of beauty.
A magical way to bridge
the gap between the childish
and
de
ee
ep
p.
the deep.

Snow
business: Pip
and Posy fight
it out

RICHARD GODWIN trawls through the music
volumes of the last year and ﬁnds there is a
winning formula
and I took a look at the rather challengingly splendid specimens on the
table before us, considered for a moment the slightly more modest scale
of our own endowments, and said,
‘Hmmm. Nah, I don’t think so.’”
3) Reverently describe the ﬁ rst
encounter with Elvis. Peter Ames
Carlin does this with suitable reverence in Bruce, which gets that
Springsteenian tone of triumphal
longing just right. “What Bruce remembers most vividly is the way the
man looked. The way his every step,
gesture, smile and sneer set him
apart from everything you were supposed to think, feel, or know about
modern America,” he writes. Ames
is also exemplary in his veneration
for the “higher powers of rock ’n’
roll” and his use of song fragments
as chapter titles (eg “It Was Me and
You, Baby, I Remember the Night
You Promised”). Fans will enjoy.
4) Include as many anecdotes
of excess and egotism as you possibly can - unless it concerns Jimmy
Page’s taste for teenage groupies,
quickly brushed over in Brad Tolinski’s Light and Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page. Townshend
strikes a rare note of amusement
in Pete Townshend: Who I Am - a
lengthy disavowal of his youthful
desire to die before he gets old.
When the guitarist describes his
feelings on discovering, in 1967, that
The Who had lost the title of loudest band on earth to an outﬁt called
Vanilla Fudge, he sounds genuinely
disgusted.
5) Try to be as insightful as possible about the songwriting process.
Townshend actually scores pretty
well on this score, conjuring the
recording studio for the recording
of I Can See For Miles. Neil Young,

Junk food meets Greek myth and old
For older
children
By Melanie McDonagh
There’s not much point in
reviewing some books. If
children are Tom Gates
obses
obsessives, they’ll read
Liz Pi
Pinchon’s latest, Tom
Gates Genius Ideas (mostly) regardless
reg
of what you
think of a schoolboy diary
with not much text and
lots of
o doodles. Ditto Dav
Pilkey
Pilkey’s Captain Underpant
pants and the Terrifyin Return of Tippy
ing

Tinkletrousers: it’s funny,
subversive, and with a
large ratio of comic strip
to text. Just go with it.
Rick Riordan’s Percy
Jackson series is a work of
genius: a combination of
American teenspeak and
junk food with the entire
cast of Graeco-Roman
mythology. The latest,
The Mark of Athena, features the young American
demigods plus Hercules,
Bacchus and Arachne,
and a sortie to the gates of
Hades. Business as usual,
then.
Michelle Paver’s new

series, Gods and Warriors,
is something else. Set in
Bronze Age Greece it has
her hallmarks; an apparently effortless familiarity
with the long-dead past
and engaging friendship
between man and beast,
or in this case, dolphin.
This being the bicentenary of the Grimm Bros
Fairy Tales, there are
some lovely editions about.
It’s a toss-up between the
longer selection, which
includes Fetching Down
the Moon, illustrated by
Michael Foreman and
translated by Brian Alder-

son or the shorter version
translated by Anthea Bell
(of Asterix fame) and ﬁ nely illustrated by Lizbeth
Zwerger. I would mention
Philip Pullman’s translation but it has no pictures.
And what, as Alice says, is
the point of books without
pictures?
Don’t judge a book by
its cover, though: remember that with RJ Palacio’s
Wonder, which has a horrid one. It’s about an Elephant Boy with a hideous
face who has to ﬁt into a
new school. It sounds like
a diversity manifesto but

SUNDAY MAIL • December 23, 2012

25

raw (with a few
for good measure)

Horoscope

BY SALLY BROMPTON

ARIES
You need to ﬁnd a way to balance your own self-interest
with the interests of those you work and do business with. If
you can meet them halfway and work together on things of
March 21 - April 20 mutual importance there is no limit to what you can achieve
over the next few weeks.

TAURUS
Mars, planet of action and ambition, moves this week to
focus on your career and your social standing, giving you the
chance to move up in the world. Your ambitions will know
no bounds and nor should they because for the next ﬁve
April 21 - May 21
weeks or so anything is possible.

GEMINI
Your ﬁnances will look worse than they are this week so
there is no need to make sudden changes. Cutbacks may be
needed but this is not the moment to start them as you’re
May 22 - June 21 not thinking straight. In time you will know what to do and
it won’t be as drastic as you ﬁrst feared.

CANCER
This week’s Full Moon falls in your sign so your emotions
are liable to be all over the place - much the same as usual
really only more so. Somehow you’ve got to get the balance
right and get rid of negative feelings without going over the
June 22 - July 22
top and antagonising others.

LEO
People you deal with on a one-to-one basis will become
rather bossy now that Mars, planet of ego, is moving into
your opposite sign. You will have to tread carefully but you
July 23 - Aug 23 will also have to let them know that you will not be pushed
around. Don’t leave it until later.

VIRGO

Full details:
Jessie J

Aug 24 - Sep 23

You tend to stick with what you know and trust and most
of the time it works well. Now the cosmic setup urges you
to swap some of your old-fashioned ideas for more modern
versions. You don’t have to betray your principles, but you
do have to move with the times.

LIBRA

Sept 24 -Oct 23
in the stolid, if periodically engaging Waging Heavy Peace fares less
well. “Have you ever wondered what
goes into writing a song? I wish I
could tell you… Songs are like rabbits and they like to come out of
their holes when you’re not looking,
so if you stand there waiting they
will just burrow down. The more we
talk about this, the worse it will get.
So that is why we are changing the
subject.”
6) In all cases, aim to reach the
last worthwhile album that the

subject recorded around halfway
through the 732-page account, so
that even an ardent fan ﬁ nds himself ﬂ icking through the remaining
pages, wondering what can possibly
ﬁ ll them.
7) Remember: no detail is ever
too trivial.
8) If all else fails, look to the new
generation. In Jessie J: Nice to Meet
You, the author of Price Tag and Do
It Like a Dude offers a breezy tour
through her school play CV, her entry
into the Brit School and the stroke

she had at 18 - which only strengthened her resolve. “I remained positive... and apart from my right side
being achey when I am tired and a
trapped nerve I have had under my
arm ever since, I’m ﬁ ne. *Smiles*.”
By page 100, she has resorted to
listing her awards: Breakthrough
of the Year from Harper’s Bazaar,
Best Role Model in Pop from Capital
FM, UK Artist of the Year from the
Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards...
A crass move, perhaps, but it saves a
lot of time. ;-)

favourites battle it out with bold dragons
it’s a shrewd take on the
dynamics of US school life
and a moving account of,
well, being different.
Rebecca Stead’s Liar
and Spy is about a boy
whose life sucks too: he
has to move home when
his dad loses his job. He encounters an eccentric boy
in the new place, who runs
a spy club, and is spying on
Mr X, on the upstairs ﬂoor.
It’s about what happens
when fantasy and reality
become blurred and it’s
oddly compelling.
I loved Chris Bradford’s
Young Samurai series:

odd, because martial arts,
the author’s speciality,
aren’t my bag. But his account of Jack Fletcher, an
English boy cast up on the
Japanese coast during the
upheavals of the 17th century, who turns samurai, is
addictive. The Ring of Sky
is the last; I’m bereft.
If I have a weakness, it’s
for dragons and Dragon
Legends by David Passes,
illustrated by Wayne Anderson, is a succession of
good dragon stories, from
Gilgamesh to St George.
Lovely. Frances Hardinge’s
A Face Like Glass is al-

December 23, 2012 • SUNDAY MAIL

most bewildering in its
abundance of invention;
it’s about a girl who lives
in a subterranean world
where people learn facial
expressions like a foreign
language. Weird, and wonderful.
There are cracking new
editions of old favourites;
if you haven’t read Rosemary Sutcliff ’s Eagle of
the Ninth trilogy there’s a
ﬁ ne boxed set from OUP.
Joan Aiken’s The Wolves
of Willoughby Chase is as
delightful now as when
it was ﬁ rst written, half a
century ago.

With energetic Mars entering the most dynamic area of your
chart the next few weeks will be highly productive. But they
will be more productive still if you make the eﬀort to bring
certain existing projects to an end. They are the ones you
are destined to never complete.

SCORPIO
Sometimes you are a law unto yourself. You certainly get
away with things more often than you should. However, the
Full Moon warns that if you cut corners or disobey rules you
Oct 24 - Nov 22 will be made to regret it. Just this once you’re advised to
play it safe and retain your credibility.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov 23 - Dec 21

This is a good time for business and ﬁnancial issues but the
planets indicate that you should not rely too much on your
hunches this week. You may trust your inner voice but it
would still be wise to check facts and ﬁgures for yourself
before laying your money down.

CAPRICORN

Dec 22 - Jan 20

The approaching Full Moon in your opposite sign of
Cancer means that it is time to take stock of what certain
partnerships and relationships mean to you - and if they
don’t mean enough it may be time to bring them to an
end. It could, of course, lead to some emotional scenes
but that has to be preferable to remaining indefinitely in
a relationship that lacks empathy or is holding you back.

AQUARIUS
Jan 21 - Feb 19

Mars, planet of energy and ambition, enters your birth sign
this week and no matter how active an Aquarian you may
be most of the time you’ll be twice as active over the next
ﬁve weeks or so. Personally and professionally this is a winning phase. Make something of it.

PISCES
Fetching Down the Moon

As this week’s Full Moon falls in one of the more positive
areas of your chart it won’t aﬀect you as much as some
people. In fact, if you keep your feelings in check and think
Feb 20 - March 20 logically you’ll be in a position to take advantage of the situation. Their loss could be your gain.

26 MARKETPLACE

The essence of
Narciso Rodriguez
The Sandwich Shop:
you have to have it

TThe new eponymous fragrance from Narciso
Rodriguez is inspired by the dual nature
of woman - that is, dynamic and ethereal,
simple and complicated. The new fragrance
celebrates the modern woman, embraces
her passions, and reflects the energy and
spirit.
The personal choice of the designer, musk
dominates the heart of the essence, which
p
is complemented
and enhanced by the
bright nnotes of rose petals, iris and amber
trail
trail. From their combination results in a
flor
oral musk fragrance.
In co
collaboration with Narciso Rodriguez,
designe
designer Ross Lovegrove has created a
bottl
bottle that gives new definition to the
ele
elegance that will mark the future. A
de
delicately carved glass surrounds the
co
core, creating reflected onto a slide.
Th
The basic shape alludes to a woman’s
silh
silhouette, creating an excellent art
ob
object.

Oral B makes a
toothpaste as good
as its tooth brushes
Oral B has created a revolutionary toothpaste called Oral B Pro Expert.t.
Oral-B Pro-Expert is the first and only toothmic
paste to combine two dynamic
de
components: stannous fluoride
hate.
and sodium hexametaphosphate.
ps protect
The unique composition helps
at
against the eight elements that
dentists check most: cavities,
ty,
gums, plaque, tooth sensitivity,
enamel and stone teeth, surface stains and fresh breath.
arIt is now available in supermarkets and pharmacies all over
Cyprus.

Sexy, smooth and
full of sparkle
The new Full Blooded collection by Swatch
is characterised by its boldness.
The collection has four models in black and
white which all offer a sense of luxury in
the form of shiny stones and gold and silver
detail on the rims and displays.
Translucent plastic frames and aluminum
bracelet, mean the Full Blooded collection is
the epitome of modern affordable luxury!

A new eatery in town is intent on giving
locals and their taste buds a tantalising
new experience. The charming Sandwich
Shop, situated near the hub of down town
Nicosia, specialises in a wide variety of delicious treats from loaded bagels and wraps
to melt-in-your-mouth burgers, ciabattas
and baguettes. Also dishing out lighter
meals that can be enjoyed on the go, there
are plenty of salads to choose from and
homemade soups to be devoured for a real
pick me up.
Using only the best and freshest ingredients,
everything on the menu is also great value
for money. If you’re planning an event or
need some nibbles to share with your colleagues, a range of platters are also available.
The Sandwich Shop
25 Themistokli Dervi, Nicosia. Open Monday- Friday 7.30am-7pm. Saturday 9am-7pm.
Delivery hours Monday-Friday 7.30am-4pm
and Saturday 9am-3pm. Tel: 22-662662.
Email: thesandwichshop@gmail.com. www.
thesandwichshop.com.cy

SOCIETY
A sweet afternoon

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A sweet afternoon was held recently at
Uqbar in Nicosia to celebrate the Jiverti
locally made honey. Hot drinks were served
with sweet treats made using the honey.
Jiverti is made in Cyprus by a family
that has been involved in bee keeping
for five generations. The family operate
the largest bee unit in Cyprus with
2,000 bees in addition to a modern
production and packing plant.
Jiverti was the name given to the hives
found on the island until the 1950s.
Demetris Papakostas said his family
had decided to use this old word as the
name for the honey.
Jiverti has won international awards:
Gold at the Apimedica & Apiquality
2010; bronze at a world honey
competitio
competition organised by the
Internation
International Federation of Beekeeping
association
associations.
1. Dimitris
D
Papakostas, Rodoula
Pap
Papakosta, Lenia Papakostas and
Zach
Zacharias Papakostas
2. Rodoula
Ro
Papakosta
3. N
Nicoletta Charalmbous, Maria
Leon
Leondiou, Andria Charalambous and
And
Andreas Zachariades
4. Marios
M
Kogkorozis
5. George
Ge
Theodorou, Fani Constantinou,
Taso
Tasoula Yiasoumis, Mary Kyprianou and
Poly
Polys Poliviou
6. Tasos
Ta Nikiforidis and Alexia Kyriacous
7. Dimitris
D
Papakostas
8. Za
Zacharias Papacostas and Rodoula
Pap
Papacosta

The rules for Samurai
Sudoku are the same
as usual: fill in the
grid so that every
row, every column
and every 3x3 box
contains the digits
1-9. There’s no maths
involved, you solve
the puzzle with
reasoning and logic

Place a letter from A to I in each empty cell so that
each row, each column and each 3X3 box contains
all the letters A to I.
lenloullis@hotmail.com

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Koudus No. 24
A B C D E F G H
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F C B

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B A D E
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H A G B E D F C
Books of Koudus available from
www.melrosebooks.com

Puzzle by websudoku.com

Whatzit?: Undercover agent

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1
7

ANSWERS

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

Puzzle by websudoku.com

DOUBLE CROSSWORD no 2270
Cryptic clues

Across
1 Room for party rhetoric (10)
7 Calm sea (7)
8 After work I’m round the bend with a drug (5)
10 After the sound of laughter, somehow (6)
12 One having a ﬂing? (6)
13 Message from hotel expected (5)
14 Some scowled wearing a hood (4)
16 Florence’s banker (4)
17 Lady ’e sang about (5)
19 Some sixteen ought to be adequate (6)
20 Take stock of another (6)
23 Letter from Greek apparently (5)
24 Storm on stage (7)
25 Informed of the latest news by mail (4,6)

Down
1 Happy but not starting to be courageous (5)
2 Strike counter (6)
3 Hard music? (4)
4 Author axing part of insect’s body! (6)
5 There’s no end of ﬁsh under the bar in the carriage (7)
6 Where one might be found in trouble without a paddle (2,3,5)
9 Highly strung performer? (10)
11 No sound from the stable (5)
12 Put off freed revolutionary (5)
15 Exclamation of delight on seeing small Scottish ring inside (7)
17 Appalled at hag’s dilemma (6)
18 Doctor getting up during court case will resign (6)
21 Stamp on dishonest trade (5)
22 German man to turn to (4)

Just off Dhekelia Road, opposite the
sea. I live with my devoted wife Mary,
our shitzu Suky and cat Misha. We
found Misha when she was a kitten
after she’d been knocked down by a
car so she only walks on three legs,
bless her.

If the world is ending in 24
hours what would you do?
I’d get a packet of cigarettes, a
metrio Cyprus coffee, sit back and
wait for it.

Best childhood memory?

What is your greatest fear?

In 1952, when I was 10 years old, I
travelled by boat from Cyprus to
London with my Aunt who I’d been
living with for the past two years after my Mother had gone to England.
We arrived at Victoria station and
my Mum was waiting for me. That
ﬁ rst sighting of her, after not seeing
her for two years, was the best feeling. I’d really missed her.

Snakes. I’ve faced them many times
living in Cyprus. The supernatural
also frightens me – demons, devils,
that kind of thing.

Most frequented restaurant
and absolute favourite dish?
If we go for ﬁ sh we go to Zygi to two to
three places that we like. Of course,
I’m at my own restaurant every day
and here my favourite dish has to be
Beef Madras, pilau rice and a plain
naan. For me food has to be ﬂ avourned and
ful, well cooked, well seasoned
cleanly presented.

What did you have for breakfast?
kfast?
A bacon sandwich: white ready
sliced bread, a scraping of salted
etchup.
butter, bacon and Heinz ketchup.
Sometimes HP. I also like to have
jam and butter on toast with
some cheddar cheese.

Would you class yourself
as a day or night person?
What’s your idea of the
perfect night/day out?

A man's man:
Dean Martin.

Night person – I had to be as
I was a drummer for many
h
years and even toured with
er
Theodorakis, the composer
ed
of Zorba the Greek. We toured
viet
all over Europe and the Soviet

N
I
W

Union in 1968. Perfect night would
be with great company to have a
good meal and a laugh.

What music are you listening
to in the car at the moment?
Allstars Jazz. My favourite song is
That’s Amore by Dean Martin.

Tell me a joke…
An old guy goes to the Doctor. He
says “Doctor, I want a prescription for Viagra 5mg!” The Doc says,
“5mg? You mean 500mg by the looks
of you! What are you gonna do with
that?” The man replies, “I just don’t
want to pee in my shoes when I go
for a wee!”

Best book ever read?
I love cookery books – Delia Smith,
Jamie Oliver – and I also like the internet to look at recipes.

What is always in your fridge?
Eggs, tomatoes, cucumber and salad things. It’s boring but it’s true.
I’ve outgrown all the juicy stuff.

Favourite ﬁlm of all time?
Westerns, I could watch them all
day long and never tire. My favourite is Rio Bravo with John Wayne
and Dean Martin.

Favorite holiday destination
(or best holiday ever
taken) and why?
I’ve been to India but it was too
chaotic for me, although surprisingly I had a phenomenal
Chinese meal there while listening to a great jazz quartet. For me, I love Europe
for holidays – Italy, Spain,
France, Germany. Europe
has great culture, history
and I feel at home.

Dream house: rural retreat or
urban dwelling? Where would it
be, what would it be like and why?
My wife and I built our dream home
and we’re lucky enough to live in
it right now. We designed it from
scratch and oversaw the entire operation down to every little detail.
We have amazing gardens, a perfect
sea view and our sanctuary away
from it all. Perfect.

If you could pick anyone
at all (alive or dead) to go
out for the evening with,
who would it be? Why?
Dean Martin. I’ve been in love with
him since I was 10 years old. His
voice, his acting, his jokes – he was

24.12.2012 : 1 Night €230 (Single €165) 2 Nights €400 (Single €300)
31.12.2012 :1 Night €300 (Single €200) 2 Nights €470 (Single €335)
The above prices and corresponding periods include the following: 2 persons
in double sea view room Daily Rich Buﬀet Breakfast Christmas or New Year
Dinner (Gala) For the Two Nights Package Christmas or New Years Lunch is also
included. Free use of Health Centre (use of Indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and
gym) Supervised Kid’s Club & Playgrounds available. Additional Charges: Third
person sharing room 20% discount .For the one night package: Children up
to 12 years sharing room with parents during Christmas season €37 and for
New Year is €60.00. For the two night package: Children up to 12 years sharing
room with parents during Christmas season €55 and for New Year is €78.00.
Extra night €100.00 per room including breakfast .The above prices include all
For more information please call now
taxes and services.

Address: .............................................
............................................................
Telephone: .........................................
Email: ................................................
Answers must reach us by December 31st.The winner
will be announced on January 6th.
Send replies to: PO Box 21144, Fax: 22 676385.
Email: competition@cyprus-mail.com
(answers by email must be accompanied by full address
and contact numbers)
(Winners will be notified by telephone)

To win, answer the following question:
Question: In what town is the hotel?

Top Gear Middle
East Special
Jeremy Clarkson,
Richard Hammond and
James May follow the
path of the Three Wise
Men across the Middle
East, driving open-top
sports cars through
southern Turkey, Iraq
and Syria.

Local satirical show,
using comedy sketches and embarrassing
TV clips to skewer local
politicians.

01.30

05.30
06.20
06.50
07.00

Story of singer and
comedienne from
Rochdale, Gracie
Fields and her relationship with Italian-born
Hollywood director
Monty Banks and its
staggering repercussions. Biopic, starring
Jane Horrocks and
Tom Hollander. 2009.

Tasos Tryfonos interviews Greek celebrities
from the world of
showbiz.

News
Sports Time
Rubi
FILM: View From
The Top
A small-town girl
dreams of a high-ﬂying
career with a airline,
but her plans get in
the way of true love.
Romantic comedy, starring Gwyneth
Paltrow. 2003.

22.45

FILM: Control
A sociopath on death
row is given a chance
to live if he agrees to
take part in a chemical
behavioral modiﬁcation
program. Thriller, starring Ray Liotta. 2004.

Exelixeis Stin
Showbiz
FILM: The Dukes Of
Hazzard
Cousins Bo and Luke
Duke, with a little help
from their cousin Daisy
and Uncle Jesse, egg
on the authorities of
Hazzard County, Boss
Hogg and Sheriff
Coltrane. Comedy,
starring Seann William
Scott. 2005.

News
CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation
An elite team of police
forensic evidence
investigation experts
work their cases in Las
Vegas.

01.00
01.40
02.30
03.00
03.30

PLUS TV

00.40

FILM: By The Sword
A former fencing champion starts working as
a caretaker at an academy and must face up
to his past mistakes.
Drama, with F Murray
Abrahamring. 1991.

Stars 20:30 Storage Wars 21:00
Ancient Aliens 22:00 High Hitler
23:00 Mankind: The Story Of All Of
Us 01:00 Ancient Aliens 02:00 Mankind: The Story Of All Of Us 04:00
American Pickers 05:00 American
Restoration 05:30 Storage Wars
06:00 Ancient Aliens

07:15 Two And A Half Men 08:00
Eastbound & Down 08:35 The
Closer 09:20 Harry’s Law 10:05
Chuck 10:50 2 Broke Girls 11:15
Bones 12:45 Underbelly 13:35
Two And A Half Men 14:25 The
Closer 15:15 Harry’s Law 16:05

By Preston Wilder
young children, but still a welcome change from the
usual slick cartoons and smart-aleck tweens. “At my
school there were two camps, the [Harry Potter and
the] Chamber of Secrets camp and the Skellig camp,”
recalls a British fan at the Internet Movie Database; “I
was in the latter”. I don’t know, flying on a broomstick
seems so much more sensible. Made in 2009.

Skellig: The Owl Man (LTV3, 18.00)
How do you feel about flying? It’s supposed to be everyone’s big dream - soaring through the air, free as
a bird, blah blah blah - but it looks a bit risky to me; a
person could break a leg or something. Our juvenile
hero gets to fly in this British kids’ movie, based on
a prize-winning book, but only after he meets Skellig (Tim Roth), a weird and cantankerous “owl man”
who lives in the garage of his new house. “Who are
you?” asks the wonder-struck kid. “Something like a
bird,” replies Skellig. “Something like an angel?” asks
Kid - and Skellig nods, later showing angel-like skills
in curing Kid’s sister who was born with a heart condition. Made for TV, and a wee bit distressing for very

Good Will Hunting (Novacinema4,
21.00)

Skellig: The Owl Man

Best put-down ever comes from a friend whose parents watched this Oscar-winning drama some years
ago: “I don’t know why they call it Good Will Hunting,”
mused his dad after it was over, “it’s not that good”.

My friend’s dad was right - but there’s no point telling that to the Academy, not when they found a film
which combined (a) a story about disability, (b) a story
about psychotherapy, (c) a chance for Robin Williams
to do his patented loveable-maverick schtick (he won
an Oscar) and (d) the emergence of a hot young team
in Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. They wrote the script
and Damon also plays Will Hunting, a troubled, autistic maths genius who works as a lowly janitor at MIT
rather than use his exceptional gifts; can ‘unconventional’ shrink Williams manage to connect with this
mixed-up young man, helping him find closure and a
happy ending? Two Oscars and a box-office gross of
over $100 million says ‘You bet!’. Made in 1997.

SundayMail
Happy Feet Two
Dancing penguins, drama
and a happy ending

Eat Pray Love
Newly single woman
seeking her lost spark

Christmas Day, LTV3, 6pm

Thursday, LV3, 7.35pm

D E C E M B E R 2 3 2 9

The Three Musketeers
Gloriously insane version of the
Alexandre Dumas classic
Sunday, NovaCinema1, 10pm

Complete guide to what’s on the small screen this week, including our selections and satellite choices

News
FILM: A Song For
The Season
A music teacher prepares for the Christmas
season, planning a
tuneful extravaganza.
Festive romance, with
Naomi Judd. 1999.

Music programme.

01.30
03.00
03.20
04.40

News
Ti Tha Fame
Simera Mama
7 Ouranoi kai
Synnefa Alites
News
Aspra Balonia (rpt)
FILM: Jingle All The
Way
A father decides to
dream the impossible dream, to get
that year’s hot toy for
his son just before
Christmas. Comedy,
starring Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
1996.

00.00
00.05

News
Anados - Mazonakis

Kids’ TV
CS Ai Vasilis (rpt)
Eleni (rpt)
Ti Tha Fame Simera
Mama
Mr Bean
FILM: Home Alone
2: Lost In New York
One year after Kevin
is left home alone
fending off a pair of
burglars, he accidentally ﬁnds himself in
New York, and the
same criminals are not
far behind. Comedy sequel, starring Macaulay
Culkin. 1992.

FILM: One Magic
Christmas
A mother who has lost
her enthusiasm for the
festive season receives
a visit from an angel
intent on cheering her
up. Intelligent sentimental drama, starring
Mary Steenburgen.
1985.

00.15

05.30
06.20
06.50
07.00

17.30

A woman told she
has only weeks to live
resolves to make the
most of the time left
- and her passion for
life proves infectious.
Comedy, with Queen
Latifah. 2006.

FILM: I’ll Be Home
For Christmas
A college student
experiences difﬁculty
in getting home for
Christmas after being
hazed by his friends.
Seasonal comedy,
starring Jonathan
Taylor Thomas. 1998.

Comedy. 1967.

23.30
23.45

NRG Zone
Kids’ TV
FILM: Hansel And
Gretel
Musical adaptation of
the Brothers Grimm
fairy tale about two
children lost in a forest
who are captured by
an evil witch. Starring
David Warner and
Cloris Leachman. 1987.

Third season of local
period drama, based
on true events.

22.00

ANTENNA

Studio Peiraios
To Kafeneio (rpt)
News
Deal (rpt)

01.40

Late Programmes

PLUS TV
09.30
10.00
10.50
12.30
13.00
15.30
18.00

Exelixeis Sti
Showbiz
Nistikoi Praktores
Kids’ TV
Star News
Mesimeriani Meleti
Kids’ TV
FILM: The National
Tree
A father and his teenage son embark on a
life-changing journey
across America to deliver a tree to the White
House. Drama, starring
Andrew McCarthy.
2009.

News
Sports Time
Rubi
FILM: Do You
Wanna Dance?
After being tried for
auto theft, a dancer is
sentenced 500 hours
of community service
teaching the elderly to
dance. Romantic comedy, starring Robert
Krantz 1999.

23.15

FILM: Swindle
An undercover cop
faces a dilemma when
a bungled heist forces
him to choose between
saving hostages and
arresting the robbers.
Thriller, starring Tom
Sizemore. 2002.

FILM: 3 Holiday Tails
A retired couple try to
reunite their neighbour
with her lost love.
Romantic comedy sequel, with Julie
Gonzalo. 2011.

01.00

11.00
11.30
12.15
12.50
13.45
14.40
15.40
16.30

FILM: Harry Potter
And The Chamber
Of Secrets
Harry ignores warnings not to return to
Hogwarts, only to ﬁnd
the school plagued by
a series of mysterious
attacks and a strange
voice haunting him.
Fantasy adventure,
starring Daniel
Radcliffe. 2002.

23.30

10.00

FILM: A Dennis The
Menace Christmas
A mischievous boy
tries to show his neighbour the holiday spirit
while hoping Santa
Claus grants his wish
for a bicycle. Family
comedy, with Maxwell
Perry Cotton. 2007

07:30 Eye Of The Dolphin
09:30 Miracle 12:00 City Of
Angels 14:00 Invisible Sign,
An 16:00 Going The Distance
18:00 Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’hoole
20:00 Life As We Know It 22:00
U.S. Marshals 00:15 All The
King’s Men 02:30 Hall Pass
04:30 Sin Nombre 06:10 Dragonslayer

Christmas With the Kranks (LTV,
21.00)
This year, proclaims the trailer with sadistic glee, “one
man will discover that no matter how hard you try, or
how far you go, you can’t skip Christmas!”. It actually
sounds more like ‘escape’ Christmas, which would
make even more sense - but skipping Christmas is
what Mr. and Mrs. Krank (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee
Curtis) plan to do, much to the dismay of their smalltown neighbours. They’ve always been famous for
their Yuletide decorations, but this year their daughter’s off on some Peace Corps assignment, emptynest syndrome is hitting them hard - so Mr. and Mrs.
K. decide to spend all that Christmas cash on a Carib-

bean cruise instead. “Isn’t that against the law?” asks
a shocked child, while angry neighbour Dan Aykroyd
makes it clear the community won’t tolerate such
blatant non-conformity. The stage is set for a sharp
subversion of Christmas tyranny - but instead we get
harmless slapstick as the daughter decides to come
home after all, and the Kranks rush around trying to
get everything ready at the last minute. Based (incredibly) on a novel by John Grisham. Made in 2004.

The Hangover (Antenna, 22.10)
There’s a time and place to watch The Hangover and
a time and place to watch other films - and Christmas
Eve, when the onslaught of saccharine goodwill-to-

all-men threatens to become intolerable, is clearly a
time and place to watch The Hangover. A bachelor
party in Las Vegas goes wrong, insofar as the revellers wake up next day with no memory of what happened; all they have are clues, none of them very reassuring. One of them (Ed Helms) is missing a tooth,
another (Bradley Cooper) seems to have been in hospital; there’s a baby in a closet, a Chinese man in their
car and a tiger (!) in their hotel suite. Worst of all, they
seem to have lost the groom - and he’s getting married in a few hours! What follows is a men-behavingbadly comedy that’s undoubtedly juvenile but often
funny; on a night when comedy means Christmas With
the Kranks ... well, there’s no contest. Made in 2009.

21:00 Duplex 22:35 Rumor
Has It... 00:20 The English Patient 03:05 Never Been Kissed
04:55 Miral

07:00 These Wilder Years
08:30 Hill, The 10:35 Julie
12:10 Singin’ In The Rain 13:50
North By Northwest 16:05
Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm, The 18:15 Champ,
The 20:20 Time Machine, The
22:00 Gone With the Wind
01:35 Get Carter 03:30 Hearts
Of The West 05:10 Welcome
To Hard Times

T V SATURDAY 29/12
SUNDAY MAIL• December 23, 2012

CYBC 1
08.00

FILM: The Bells Of
St. Mary’s
A priest and a nun who
rarely see eye to eye,
learn to work together
to rescue a struggling
inner-city school.
Musical drama, starring Bing Crosby and
Ingrid Bergman. 1945.

FILM: Here Come
The Girls
Ageing chorus boy
Bob Hope is overjoyed
at being promoted to
leading man, unaware
he’s being used as
bait to catch a crazed
murderer. Period
musical comedy, with
Rosemary Clooney.
1953.

00.00

06.20
06.50
07.20

News In English
New In Turkish
NRG Zone Weekend
FILM: The School Of
Rock
Comedy, starring
Jack Black and Joan
Cusack. 2003. See
Pick Of The Day.

Local Sketch
News
Savvato Ki
Apovrado

News
Tete A Tete (rpt)
Edoxe Ti Vouli Kai
To Dimo (rpt)
More Repeats

Candid Camera
Unsuspecting people
react to bizarre events.

Variety show, with wellknown guests pretending to have a good time
for the beneﬁt of You At
Home.

23.30
23.45
00.15

FILM: One Magic
Christmas
A mother who has lost
her enthusiasm for the
festive season receives
a visit from an angel
intent on cheering her
up. Drama, starring
Mary Steenburgen.
1985.

Second season. ‘The
Goodbye Gossip Girl’.
The blogger decides
to liven things up at
the Constance Billard
and St. Jude’s graduation by sending out
a damaging e-mail in
the middle of the ceremony. Last in series.

Kids’ TV
Telemarketing
Greek FILM:
Agapisa Enan Aliti
Mila Mou Prasina
Kouzina Me Apopsi
(rpt)
News
FILM: The Hottie &
The Nottie
A man tracks down his
childhood sweetheart,
only to ﬁnd she has
sworn to remain single
until her unattractive
best friend has found
love. Comedy, starring
Paris Hilton. 2008. With
News at 17.30.

One Tree Hill (rpt)
Second season. ‘The
Leavers’ Dance’.
Lucas ﬁnally gets
the evidence he has
been searching for.
A journalist arrives to
talk to Peyton, who is
having problems with
a webcam voyeur. Last
in series.

News
FILM: The Christmas
Shoes
A little boy determined
to do whatever he can
to care for his dying
mother inspires an
amazing transformation in the life of a coldhearted lawyer. Festive
family drama, starring
Rob Lowe. 2002.

Kids’ TV
LTV Sports News
(rpt)
Star News
Gossip Girl (rpt)

CAPITAL

18.00
18.55
19.05
19.55
20.05
21.00

Remington Steele
News
Acapulco HEAT
News
Rubi
FILM: The Santa
Trap
A youngster is horriﬁed by her family’s
move to the desert,
believing it will ruin
Christmas - but her
scheme to put things
right only causes more
chaos. Family comedy,
starring Shelley Long.
2002.

22.55

FILM: Broken Arrow
A pilot holds the US
government to ransom
by stealing a nuclear
warhead and threatens
to detonate it. Action
thriller, starring John
Travolta. 1996.

Don Juan DeMarco (Novacinema4,
19.15)
“If you can’t get laid after watching this movie, you
just can’t get laid!” famously proclaimed the host of an
American TV show - which is crude, but true: Johnny
Depp’s elegant softness and purring Lothario accent
are well-nigh irresistible (this was before he became
Capt. Jack Sparrow), guaranteed to put any self-respecting female viewer in a dreamy receptive mood.
Depp is a young man who claims to be Don Juan, the
world’s greatest lover; Marlon Brando is a psychiatrist
who has 10 days to decide if the kid should be committed. Brando knows the young man is insane (he
has to be), yet he’s so ... convincing, and the effect he

has on those around him, including Brando himself, is
so invigorating. Faye Dunaway is Marlon’s wife, pleasantly surprised by his sudden randiness - and the film
is slight but it oozes charm, not to mention Bryan Adams on the soundtrack. I said not to mention Bryan
Adams on the soundtrack! Made in 1994.

The School of Rock (CyBC2, 21.00)
Bryan Adams? Don’t make me laugh. The wimpy
crooner doesn’t even feature on the rock’n roll family
tree drawn by Jack Black in this joyous comedy - and
he’s drawing it to educate a class of prepubescents
at a very exclusive prep school where he’s somehow
wangled a job as a substitute teacher. Jack is a loser

The School of Rock

and wannabe rock star - but he loves rock music, and
decides to turn the classically-minded kids (who don’t
know Tom Waits from Tom Jones) into a contest-winning rock band. The message may be dubious (“No
more reading. Time for rock!”) but this is a film to get
the whole world playing air-guitar - a feelgood comedy with a glorious generosity of spirit and no real villains, even Joan Cusack allowed her dignity as the uptight headmistress. Above all there’s Mr. Black, whose
exuberant immaturity (“Sell my guitars? I’m an artist!
Would you tell Picasso to sell his guitars?”) has never
been funnier; he’s not quite an ‘inspirational teacher’,
more like a ramshackle creature whose only aim is to
have fun. Just like rock’n roll, really. Made in 2003.

Presenter Christina
Demetriou, leads us
into the world of styling
and good life, with a
wide variety of topics.

17.00

Popular local satirical
show, using comedy sketches and
embarrassing TV clips
to skewer local politicians.

18.45
19.20
20.00
21.30

Ego Ki Esi
Local Sketch TBA
News
FILM: Pirates Of The
Caribbean: At
World’s End
Captain Barbossa, Will
Turner and Elizabeth
Swann must sail off
the edge of the map,
navigate treachery and
betrayal, and make
their ﬁnal alliances for
one last decisive battle. Fantasy Adventure,
starring Johnny Depp
and Geoffrey Rush.
2007.

FILM: A Perfect Day
A best-selling writer is
happy to distance himself from his family and
friends, until a mysterious stranger makes an
ominous prediction.
Drama, with Rob Lowe
and Christopher Lloyd.
2006.

US drama about a
group of privileged
New York teenagers
who rely on an exclusive blogger called
Gossip Girl to keep
them up-to-date on
what’s going on.

Animation, most likely
dubbed in Greek.

15.00
16.20

Aspra Balonia (rprt)
7 Ouranoi Kai
Sinnefa Alites (rpt)

17.45

Eﬁaltis Stin Kouzina

Local drama series.

14.25

With News at 18.00.

18.40

Pame Paketo (rpt)
Greek popular talkshow that deals with
human interest stories
such as reuniting
people.

20.20
21.30

News
FILM: The Town
That Christmas
Forgot
A family gets stranded
in a remote town at
Christmas, and ends
up helping the locals
with their festive pageant. Family drama,
starring Lauren Holly
and Rick Roberts.
2010.

23.30

CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation (rpt)
An elite team of police
forensic evidence
investigation experts
work their cases in Las
Vegas.

00.10
00.20
01.00
03.20

Kids’ TV
LTV Sports News
(rpt)
Star News
Gossip Girl (rpt)

15.20
16.15
17.30
18.40

Fotis - Maria Live
Best Of
Mesimeriani
Meleti Best Of
La Bomba
Sportshow (rpt)
Mila (rpt)
FILM: Superman
A ﬂedgling superhero
escapes the destruction of his planet and
crash-lands on Earth,
where he crusades
for justice. Comicstrip adventure, with
Christopher Reeve and
Margot Kidder. 1978.

21.00

CAPITAL
07.00
11.15
13.30
14.45
15.00
15.30
16.05

A fashion-conscious
teen, who would rather
spend Christmas with
her boyfriend than her
parents, gives Santa
a makeover. Comedy,
starring George
Hamilton. 2004. With
News at 17.30.

18.00

A ﬂower girl must
choose between
a bricklayer and a
pizza baker, friends
who quarrel over her.
Comedy, starring
Marcello Mastroianni.
1970.

Acapulco HEAT
News
Rubi
FILM: Judicial
Consent
The story of what
happens after a master
thief achieves his last
big score, when the
FBI agent who promised he’d capture him
is about to do just that.
Comedy drama, starring Pierce Brosnan.
2004.

300 (Plus TV, 21.00)
Some might say it’s irresponsible to be glorifying warriors and war in the style of this martial fantasy, but to
them I say only: “SPARTAAAAAA!!!!”. Gerard Butler is
King Leonidas, setting off to meet the invading Persians at Thermopylae with 300 of his warriors (actually
299, with Leo himself rounding out the number). It’s
a suicide mission - but the men don’t care, because
they are Spartans! “No room for softness, no room for
weakness! Only the hard and strong may call themselves Spartans. Only the hard! Only the strong!”. Leonidas is hard, and grows harder still when he gazes
at his Queen (Lena Headey), she of the fiery temper
and firm breasts - though he also likes to josh with

his men on the battlefield, and exchange lingering
ambiguously gay looks before setting off to slaughter
some Persians. Basically a case of a warrior caste - or
master race - ranged against the dark-skinned, the
effeminate and freaks of all descriptions. Campy fun
with music-video visuals, or an ugly film with a fascist
worldview? Your call, gentle reader. Made in 2006.

The Three Musketeers
(Novacinema1, 22.00)
The first airship was invented in 1784, 200 years too
late for The Three Musketeers which is set “at the dawn
of the 17th century”. That factoid has always been irrelevant, since The Three Musketeers doesn’t have any

The Three Musketeers

airships - but this gloriously insane new version does,
even climaxing in a battle between two airships, the
smaller one crewed by D’Artagnan and the titular trio,
the larger one captained by the evil Comte de Rochefort. Fidelity to the Alexandre Dumas classic is non-existent (Pirates of the Caribbean is more like it) - which is
bothersome at first, but it’s also exhilarating to know
that anything can happen. Milady (Milla Jovovich) is
now an action heroine abseiling down castle walls,
Athos emerges from a Venetian canal with a pair of
crossbows strapped to his back, Richelieu is a James
Bond villain (“Rochefort ... (pause) Do not fail me
again”) and King Louis is a cool dude who becomes
D’Artagnan’s best buddy. Madness! Made in 2011.

FILM: The Italian
Job
A crook inherits a supposedly foolproof plan
to steal £4million in bullion and puts together
a motley gang to carry
out the robbery - only
to fall foul of the Maﬁa
en route to Turin.
British comedy crime
caper, starring Michael
Caine. 1969.

Swinging Christmas
Michael Parkinson
presents a programme
of festive music by
John Wilson and his
orchestra, joined
by guests Seth
MacFarlane, AnnaJane Casey and Curtis
Stigers.

Euromaxx
Jamie’s Family
Christmas

A working class single
mother appeals to
send her son to the
best state school in
her area. Made-for-TV
drama, starring Jessie
Wallace. 2007.

Local game show, asking questions having to
do with Cypriot dialect.

20.00
21.15

07.50
08.40

NRG Zone
Kids’ TV

Jamie Oliver shares his
secrets for achieving
a stress-free family
Christmas.

News
Sports Time
Rubi
FILM: Comeback
Season
An unfaithful husband
befriends an American
football player he
meets in a police cell,
who helps him save
his marriage. Romantic
drama, starring Ray
Liotta. 2006.

22.55

FILM: Thief
A robber attempts to
settle down and lead
a normal life with his
girlfriend, but has
trouble sticking to the
straight and narrow.
Drama, with James
Caan. 1981.

08:00 Amelia 10:00 Thief Who
Came To Dinner, The 12:00 Youth
In Revolt 13:45 Lethal Weapon
3 15:45 Piece Of The Action, A
18:00 Neverending Story Ii: The
Next Chapter, The 19:35 Eat Pray
Love 22:00 Primal Fear 00:10
Daring! Tv 03:20 Vincere 05:30
Last Days Of Disco, The

18:35 The Tree Of Life 21:00 The
Romantics 22:45 No Strings Attached 00:40 The Cake Eaters

07:00 Boys Town 08:30 Anchors
Aweigh 10:45 Life Of Her Own,
A 12:30 Les Girls 14:20 Young
Bess 16:10 Logan’s Run 18:05
Sea Of Grass, The 20:05 White
Heat 22:00 Sitting Target 23:30
Last Run, The 01:05 Victor/Victoria 03:15 Never So Few 05:15
For Me And My Gal

By Preston Wilder

Eat Pray Love (LTV3, 19.35)
Eat Pray Love the book is a cultural phenomenon. We
know this because it’s now used as shorthand, as in
Bad Teacher where goody-goody Miss Squirrel and
her boyfriend both name it as their favourite book
(“What’s your favourite part?” “Love, of course.” “Me
too!”). Eat Pray Love the film hasn’t made that kind of
impact, and in fact was something of a flop - though
I don’t know why, since its silliness is inherent in the
material (the book must’ve been just as silly). It is
quite silly, with newly-single Julia Roberts deciding to
take a year off, going off to travel (without working)
and find her “spark”; her first stop is Italy - where she
meets folks called Luca Spaghetti and learns that Ital-

Eat Pray Love

ians talk with their hands, kissing their fingers when
a meal is especially delicious - then India (a place of
mad traffic and arranged marriages), then Bali (an old
shaman and an affair with a hunky Brazilian). Eat, pray,
love, in that order - and even those who accept the
lame ethnic stereotypes may wonder why they should
care about Julia Roberts and her First World problems,
though Jules herself is nice enough. Made in 2010.

Overnight Delivery (LTV, 21.00)
“He’s just sent his girlfriend the wrong package,”
chuckles Mr. Trailer Man in the trailer for this late-90s
comedy, “and he’s got 24 hours to get it back! Now
they’re on a cross-country demolition mission that

takes them too far, too fast!”. Sounds like a pleasant little time-waster - but what makes it Pick of the
Day-worthy is that ‘they’ (i.e. our heroes) are played
by 22-year-old Reese Witherspoon in a brunette wig
and 29-year-old Paul Rudd, in the days when he was
known (if at all) as the brother in Clueless. Paul thinks
his girlfriend (Christine Taylor, a.k.a. Mrs. Ben Stiller) is
cheating on him, so he sends her a vindictive package
containing a nude photo of himself with trash-talking
stripper Reese - but then finds out he was wrong, so
he and Reese somehow have to intercept the package
before it reaches its destination. ‘I’m confused,’ say
younger readers. ‘Why didn’t he just email the photo?’.
I have only three words to say to that: made in 1998.

FILM: High School
Musical
Two teenagers from
completely different
backgrounds discover
a shared love of performing, and try to
land roles in the school
play. Musical, starring
Zac Efron and Vanessa
Hudgens. 2006.

18.50
18.55
19.10

12.10
13.00
13.50

News In English
News In Turkish
Kipourema
NRG Zone
FILM: The
Chronicles Of
Narnia Prince
Caspian

15.20

The Pevensie siblings
return to Narnia, where
they are enlisted to
once again help ward
off an evil king and
restore the rightful heir
to the land’s throne,
Prince Caspian.
Fantasy adventure,
starring Ben Barnes
2008.

23.30

00.15

FILM: Stealing
Christmas
A fugitive made
welcome by a small
community faces a
crisis of conscience
when he sets out to rob
the local bank. Crime
comedy, starring Tony
Danza. 2003.

Oi Takkoi (rpt)
Kids’ TV
Tiﬂa Pathi (rpt)
Eleni
FILM: The Sound Of
Music
A woman leaves an
Austrian convent to
become a governess
to the children of a
Naval ofﬁcer widower.
Musical, starring Julie
Andrews. 1965. With
News at 18.00.

FILM: You’ve Got
Mail
Two rivals in the bookshop business meet
and fall in love online,
unaware they already
know and dislike each
other in the real world.
Romantic comedy, with
Meg Ryan and Tom
Hanks. 1998.

A retired couple try to
reunite their neighbour with her lost
love - aided by their
dog and her three
puppies. Romantic
comedy sequel, with
Julie Gonzalo. 2011.

FILM: Gift Of The
Magi
A couple in ﬁnancial
difﬁculties both give
away their most prized
possessions to buy
Christmas presents
for each other. Drama,
starring Marla Sokoloff.
2010.

02.30

06.00
06.45
12.30
13.00

FILM: A Holiday For
Love
A businessman returns
to his home town at
Christmas to organise
redundancies at a
factory, but falls for a
member of the workforce. Drama, with Tim
Matheson. 1996.

00.45

PLUS TV

Mr Bean
News
FILM: Home Alone 3
Crooks get more than
they bargained for
when trying to retrieve
a microchip that’s
fallen into the hands
of a resourceful eightyear-old. Comedy
sequel, starring Alex D
Linz. 1997.

Proino Mou
FILM: Call Me Claus
A cynical female TV
producer meets Father
Christmas and learns
he intends to melt her
icy heart and make
her his replacement.
Family drama, with
Whoopi Goldberg.
2001.

With News at 18.00.

Kati Psinetai (rpt)
Greek game show,
revolving around
amateur chefs, who
each stage a dinner
party to ﬁnd who will
be crowned the winning host.

Ekeines Kai Ego
Me To Dexi (rpt)
FILM: Santa Baby 2
Santa Claus asks his
daughter to take over
running the family business, but she is happily leading her own
life. Fantasy comedy
sequel, starring Jenny
McCarthy. 2009.

Gardening show.

20.00
21.00

FILM: A Christmas
Carol
Miserly Ebenezer
Scrooge hates the
Christmas season, but
is warned to change
his attitude by a series
of ghosts. Dickens’
classic tale, with
Patrick Stewart. 1999.

Unsuspecting people
react to bizarre events.

A single woman hires
an actor to pose as her
ﬁance when she visits
her demanding mother
for Thanksgiving.
Comedy, with Bonnie
Somerville. 2011.

17.30
18.00
18.15
19.00

ANTENNA

19.15
19.50
20.05
21.00

News
Sports Time
Rubi
FILM: All I Want For
Christmas
Two youngsters call
on Santa Claus to help
reunite their divorced
parents before their
mother marries her
new boyfriend. Drama,
with Leslie Nielsen.
1991.

22.55

FILM: Blast
A former Navy SEAL
and an FBI agent must
foil a group of terrorist
hijackers aboard an
oil rig. Action comedy,
starring Eddie Grifﬁn
and Vinnie Jones.
2004.

00.40

FILM: Derailed
A secret agent must
stop terrorists from
stealing a deadly virus
from a high-speed
train that his family are
on board. Adventure,
with Jean-Claude Van
Damme. 2002.

By Preston Wilder
who believes in “Sven-think”, a pair of krill named Will
and Bill who seek adventure in the midst of awful puns
(“goodbye, krill world!”) and gay-marriage jokes, a climate-change Message and a scene where the entire
tribe dance to Queen and David Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’. Finally, some dancing penguins! Made in 2011.

Happy Feet Two (LTV3, 18.00)
Merry Christmas! Here’s some dancing penguins for
your children - though any parent who recalls how
the first Happy Feet turned into an apocalyptic thriller
will know that this franchise (made by George Miller,
the Aussie maverick behind Mad Max) is a lot more
demented than the average Disney. The sequel is
equally insane, reaching a high-point when Bryan the
elephant seal reneges on his promise to Mumble the
penguin - and Mumble’s young son Erik is so indignant
that he actually launches into opera in his childish falsetto (“Where is the hon-ooooour / When a solemn
promise / Is just a pretty lie?”). That’s the most bizarre
bit - but you also get a flying penguin named Sven

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince (Antenna, 21.20)

Happy Feet Two

How did we survive all those Christmases without
Harry Potter? The boy wizard is all over the schedules,
as you might expect (Chamber of Secrets screened on
Plus TV yesterday) - and it doesn’t even matter which
one they show, though of course Potter-heads have

their favourites. This one might be called the ‘HalfBaked Prince’, being mostly build-up in anticipation
of the big showdown - and it’s 153 minutes of atmosphere, jokes and character banter, which is fine by
me (I’ve always liked the juvenile wizards’ heartaches
and hormonal crushes more than the actual plot).
Ron fancies Hermione, who secretly fancies him back;
Harry fancies Ron’s sister Ginny (she has “nice skin”);
meanwhile, in a slightly different register, Voldemort
fancies Draco Malfoy while Dumbledore fancies Harry,
entrusting his ward with a perilous mission. “You must
be wondering why I’ve brought you here,” says the old
wizard. “Actually sir,” replies Harry, “after all these years
I just sort of go with it”. Clever boy. Made in 2009.

Mia Alithini Istoria
FILM: All I Want For
Christmas
Two youngsters call
on Santa Claus to help
reunite their divorced
parents before their
mother marries her
new boyfriend. Drama,
with Leslie Nielsen.
1991.

I Dipsa (rpt)
Emeis Ki Emeis
(rpt)
Koinonia Ora Mega
A revamped version
of its predecessor
(Koinonia Ora 8).
Current affairs show
that examines the
issues affecting everyday people in Greece
and abroad.

FILM: Hot Rod
A small-town loser
who dreams of being a
daredevil motorcyclist
hatches a plan to raise
money for his stepfather’s operation with a
record-breaking stunt.
Comedy, starring Andy
Samberg. 2007.

NRG Zone
Kids’ TV
FILM: The Cat In The
Hat
Two bored youngsters
get into all manner of
mischief after a manic
moggy with mischief
in mind turns up at
their house. Comedy
fantasy, starring Mike
Myers. 2003.

Local comedy series,
which happens to be
the longest-running
show on TV.

Two people seeking a
fresh start take a dislike
to each other, not realising they used to be
childhood sweethearts.
Romantic comedy, with
Andrea Roth. 2009.

13.00
16.00

Eleni
FILM: Mr St Nick
Santa decides to hand
his red suit over to his
son - who is less than
enthusiastic about the
responsibility. Festive
comedy, starring
Kelsey Grammer. 2002.

18.00
18.05
18.30
19.30
20.20
21.15
22.20
23.30

News
Ti Tha Fame Simera
Mama
The Del Monte Heirs
7 Ouranoi kai
Synnefa Alites
News
Aspra Balonia
60 Lepta
FILM: The Santa
Incident
An elite team of
police Santa Claus is
marooned in a small
town and must prepare
for Christmas without
the resources of his
North Pole workshop.
Comedy, starring Greg
Germann. 2010.

01.00
01.10

02.30

Eleni (rpt)

Classic Cartoons
Star News
FILM: A Dennis The
Menace Christmas
The troublesome
youngster causes
chaos when he attempts to spread some
Christmas joy. Family
comedy, with Maxwell
Perry Cotton. 2007.

Kouzina Me Apopsi
Greek FILM: I Valitsa
Tou Papa
Kids’ TV
FILM: Seems Like
Old Times
A lawyer’s peaceful
life is shattered by
the return of her wild
ex-husband. Comedy,
starring Goldie Hawn.
1980.

17.10

FILM: Fools Rush In
An American architect
and a Mexican
photographer hastily
marry when she falls
pregnant after a onenight stand. Romantic
comedy, with Matthew
Perry. 1997. With News
at 18.30.

19.15
19.50
20.05
21.00

News
Sports Time
Rubi
FILM: Comfort And
Joy
A materialistic advertising executive is thrown
into a parallel universe
after a car accident,
and discovers how her
life could have been.
Drama, with Nancy
McKeon. 2003

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (CyBC1,
12.00)
Is there anything more depressing than Boxing Day?
The stale mince pies, the piles of wrapping paper, the
general air of anti-climax! Yes - but TV can help beat
those post-Christmas blues, at least if you choose
wisely and go for unusual Picks like, say, a 51-yearold romantic comedy. This one has now become
accepted as a classic - which is odd because it’s not
very good, bowdlerising Truman Capote’s novella,
marred by embarrassing detail like the buck-toothed
Japanese neighbour played by Mickey Rooney, toning down our heroine lest she look like a prostitute
(which she is, of course) and generally falling short of

classic status. Luckily that heroine, Holly Golightly, is
played by Audrey Hepburn at her most charming and she sings ‘Moon River’ with wonderful yearning
in her eyes, plus the whole idea of a Manhattan gamine obsessed with Tiffany’s (the famous jewellery
shop) has a powerful appeal for many (female) viewers, so there you go. The result could’ve been better,
but it’s still enchanting - or at least more enchanting
than a cold turkey sandwich. Made in 1961.

Wheels on Meals (Plus TV, 21.00)
Brighten up your Boxing Day with Sammo and Jackie! Another unusual Pick - shown before, of course,
but there’s nothing like some cheesy 80s action com-

edy to take the edge off Boxing Day, and the Hong
Kong movies made by Jackie Chan (with his partner
in crime Sammo Hung) are spectacularly cheesy. This
one’s set in Barcelona, where Jackie owns a mobile
restaurant (hence the title) and Sammo’s a private
detective. They rescue a young female pickpocket
from the clutches of a gang and it all takes off from
there, Chan’s goofball persona and dazzling martialarts skills mixed in with slapstick, chases, pantomime
gangsters and a general air of amiable knockabout.
Not exactly Shakespeare, I admit - but when Jackie
jumps out of a window, uses an awning to break his
fall, does a quick somersault then floats gracefully
down to earth, it’s poetry in motion. Made in 1984.